When I started my blog, the first challenge that I faced was writing content. It was not simple as many articles and videos say. My guess is that; A) You’re trying to figure out how to write blog posts or B) You want more readers for your blog. That is what I will be focusing on and also help you on how to start a blog.
Whether you know it or not, I’m confident that reading these words will change your life. And don’t worry…I won’t try and sell you anything, though I do have affiliate links where we I earn some money.
Writing an effective blog post that people will actually read and respond sometimes seems like impossible to beginners. Well it is possible.
In fact, once you know how to write a blog post that works, you’ll find yourself turning out great posts on a regular basis without even trying! If you’re interested in writing your own effective blog posts or learning more about how to make your current posts better, check out my tips below!
In addition, I’ll point out common errors that people make (and how you can fix them). Here are some general rules to keep in mind
1. Don’t write about boring topics
The first step is figuring out what your topic is: don’t get excited about it just yet. Try not to choose anything too technical or niche… keep it broad and useful for anyone. Limit your number of knowns: You want to limit how much you know about your topic before writing.
The more research you do, and the more experience you have with a subject, often leads to dull content because there’s too much information that doesn’t need to be included.
Figure out why people should care: Let’s be honest here…this is probably why most people struggle with their blog posts – they haven’t thought through why someone would care!
Most beginners will start by spewing all kinds of irrelevant information because they’ve spent so much time researching and putting thoughts together but never actually questioning whether or not other people would care! If your post doesn’t discuss something that your target audience cares about…they won’t care!
2. Find one thing to focus on in each paragraph
This could be a new concept, something you know is important to readers, or something interesting that most people might not know. Now that you have one thing per paragraph focused on, figure out what questions people might have about your topic after reading each paragraph.
For example, if you’re writing about how overusing emojis can hurt engagement on social media, what questions would come up after reading each paragraph? For example: What are emojis? Do they really matter? How much is too much? How can I write my posts so more people read them? Is there anything else I should pay attention to when writing my blogs so they get read? If someone responded negatively to one of my blogs recently, how should I respond to them?
The list goes on and on… As you make your list of potential questions, consider grouping similar questions together by answering all of them at once rather than one at a time (consider using rhetorical questions for some groups).
These groups will help you make sure all relevant information is included in your post. All together now: Summarize everything you’ve written so far as if it were an elevator pitch for your readers.
3. Keep sentences short (5-6 words)
Studies have shown that our attention spans are decreasing, which means we need to grab your reader’s attention quickly. The easiest way to do that is by keeping sentences short (5-6 words). You’ll want shorter sentences in your opening paragraph because you want it interesting enough so they will continue reading.
In addition, you can always use subheadings, bullet points, or bold text in order to divide up those long paragraphs. It’s easier for people to scan through something when it’s broken down into smaller chunks. Your reader should be able to read what you wrote easily without getting distracted by how much text there is on one page.
With digital media today, you really don’t want them scrolling down for an entire page before deciding if they’re going to read more of your post. If a person doesn’t care about what’s happening within their first few seconds of reading your post, chances are they won’t bother finishing the rest of it either. Every bit counts, so keep everything as concise as possible!
4. Add numbers and diagrams to your blog posts
Statistics and figures can help your readers visualize your message better. For example, you can use statistics in your articles to prove certain points, or you can use charts when describing trends. If you have charts or pictures related to what you’re writing about, always add them to your posts so that readers get a visual representation of what they just read. This will help them understand what you’re talking about even better.
Just remember not to be overbearing; it’s easy for things like graphs and charts to take away from your content instead of enhancing it if you include too many. A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but not if it turns people off altogether!
5. Use images whenever possible
By using images in your posts, you can make your content much more memorable. Once people see an image they’re familiar with (or one that will resonate with them), they’ll often want to find out more about it.
Think of ways that you can leverage images into each post you write – even if it’s just adding a relevant image next to one of your points or re-purposing old posts with new images.
It doesn’t take much time or effort, but it can have a huge impact on traffic and responses from readers. Use images whenever possible! But what are some types of images that will be most effective? Be specific when writing your descriptions: Using specific details allows you to evoke visual imagery for your reader.
If you say Jane walked over broken glass, I immediately know exactly what is happening, even though there are no physical descriptors within your sentences like color or font size. Specificity matters; avoid generic adjectives at all costs.
I have a related blog post on how to optimize images for Google.
6. Make sure it is easy to scan/read
One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone writes an entire post that is super long, but I can’t tell if they’re saying yes or no. In fact, it makes me wonder if they actually answered any of my questions at all. If you want people to actually read your stuff – which you should! – then make sure it’s easy for them to scan.
Put the most important stuff up top and leave some room for them (and us) to respond in the comments below. If something is too hard for us readers, it will be hard for bloggers who are even busier than we are.
You might be writing something great with lots of data, statistics and studies … but if nobody reads it, what good is it? Skip over anything that doesn’t answer their question and keep in mind: anything between paragraphs three and five gets skimmed by everyone.
7. Break up text with headings
Headings make your text more scannable. If your reader finds what they’re looking for quickly, they are more likely to stick around. Break up your text with different headings. It’s also important to know what’s appropriate for each section of your content – often you can tell by context if it should be in header-format, or just simple paragraph format.
8. Use bullet points
Bullet points create a quick read, which is something we all strive for today. The quicker people can scan a blog post and gather the value, the quicker they can get on with their busy lives.
So what are some of the ways you can use bullet points to write a blog post that will get read, responded to, and shared by others? Let’s take a look at two ideas:
- Quick Tips. My favorite way to use bulleted lists is in my “Quick Tip” posts. These are posts that share one single idea about how to do something better or faster online. The tips are usually short and descriptive and easy for people to quickly read over and learn from. Here’s an example from my blog: 10 Tips for Writing Great Headlines
- Step-by-Step Instructions. Another way to use bullets is in step-by-step instructions. This is especially helpful if your readers need a quick reference guide they can refer back to later or share with others (like clients). As part of this type of post, you might want to include screenshots along with each list item so your readers can see exactly what you’re talking about.
9. Edit your grammar
Once you are done writing, you need to edit your blog post. This is the most crucial part of this process because if you don’t get it right, no one will read your blog post. Even worse, they won’t share it.
Editing is a very personal thing. I like to take a break after writing and come back to my blog post the next day or even the next week and edit it then. But everyone has their own workflow or preference, so do what works best for you.
- Use Grammarly or Grammarly Chrome Extension
Grammarly has made a name for itself as the grammar and spell-checking tool that catches more than just your run-of-the-mill typos. It’s a powerful way to catch contextual spelling mistakes, improve your vocabulary, and edit in real-time.
Grammarly is not strictly a blog post-editing tool, but it’s one of the most effective ones out there. You can use it as a browser extension or add-on for MS Office. You can use it on a Mac or PC. It even has an app for mobile devices.
This makes Grammarly especially useful for long-form content like blog posts. There are little things you may miss when editing on your own but Grammarly will be able to catch them all.
It’s also helpful for editing blog posts written by others because it will pick up on any grammatical errors.
10. Add humor where possible
If you want your readers to enjoy your blog, you need to keep them interested. To do this, you need to give them what they want. You also need to make your blog posts fun to read.
One of the best ways to do this is by adding humor where possible. This can be in the form of writing a funny story or it can be a joke that’s relevant to the topic of your post. It can also simply be an amusing anecdote from your own life or from someone else’s life.
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
- Use funny quotes or anecdotes whenever possible. People love it when other people make them laugh! If you have a favorite quote or anecdote, share it with your readers. Be sure to give credit where credit is due, so they know who it came from.
- Write about something that’s funny and relevant to your topic. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about how annoying it is when people don’t respond to emails, tell a funny story about something that happened when someone didn’t respond to one of yours!
- Use humor sparingly and only if it adds value to your message or if it makes for a more enjoyable reading experience for those who come across it.
- Be Human. Speak to your readers as you would speak to a friend. Write as if you’re talking to someone sitting opposite you. People want to read someone they can relate to, so make it conversational – this will help people connect with you much better than something overly formal.
- Be Interesting. This is a tricky one but there are a few ways to make this happen. First of all, don’t be afraid of controversy. We live in a world where we’re told not to talk about politics or religion because we might offend someone, but having an opinion on something and sticking up for it is what makes someone interesting. People are intrigued by controversy, so use it!
11. Know Your Target Audience
This is the main reason why many blogs and websites are not successful. Many of the people who start a blog will start with a general idea of their target audience, but they don’t really have it nailed down.
Knowing your target audience will help you write a blog post that they actually want to read. You can do this by understanding who they are, so you know what they want and what problems they have that you can solve. You can use Google Analytics (web or plugin for WordPress users) for your website or premium tools such as ahrefs.
If you don’t take the time to understand your target audience, any blog post you write will be a waste of time because most people won’t even read it. They may visit your site, but they won’t hang around long enough to see what you have to say.
So before you even think about writing a blog post for your audience, take the time to get to know them. Then once you do, use the information you’ve uncovered to create content that will get read and responded to.
Who is Target Audience?
A target audience is a group of people identified as the focus of communications, media, entertainment, advertising, and public relations efforts.
Definition of Target Audience (with examples)
Target audience refers to the individuals or businesses that you intend to reach through your marketing efforts. This audience must be receptive to your marketing message, which means that they have an interest in what you are offering.
It is important for startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to clearly define who their target audience is. Before putting effort into developing a product or service, it is worth investing time in defining who will be willing to buy it. To do so, you need to answer the following questions:
- Who are they?
- What do they want?
- Will they pay for it?
- How much are they willing to pay?
- How will I effectively reach them?
12. Think like your reader #Write for Your Ideal Reader
I know this seems obvious, but it’s not so easy. You have to have a pretty clear idea of who your ideal reader is. Let’s say you’re a real estate agent. Are you writing for first-time home buyers, sellers, or both? If it’s sellers, are they selling because of divorce, death, or relocation?
If you’re selling widgets and your target audience is CEOs, what kind of problems do they face? Once you’ve identified the pain points for your ideal reader, crafting blog posts that will resonate will be easier.
13. Make Sure Your Headline Is Clear #Be clear and concise
Some bloggers focus on writing killer headlines as a way to get more traffic. That makes sense, but if the headline doesn’t accurately describe the content of the post, readers will leave as soon as they realize they’re in the wrong place.
The headline should clearly explain what the post is about so readers know they’re in the right place. It can be clever, but make sure it’s relevant too. For example: “How to Make Money Online” is a clear headline that tells readers what they should expect to read in the blog or article.
Always make sure that your headings are precise, clear, and easy to read.
14. Write in short paragraphs
There are few things more boring than reading a novel-sized paragraph on the Internet (except maybe when it comes from a professor). People have a short attention span online, so keep your sentences short and sweet. If you can say something in three sentences instead of six, then do it! It will help keep people engaged while they are reading your content.
15. Proofread it first #Proofread, proofread, and proofread again.
Proofread your blog first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and at least three times throughout the day. If your posts contain spelling or grammatical errors, they will lose credibility with your readers. Proofreading is an essential step to writing a blog post that will get read and responded to.
You can use the free software Grammarly or the free version of Hemingway Editor to help with this step. Don’t let your ego get in the way — everyone needs an editor, even professional writers, and editors.
16. Write a Conclusion for your Blog Post
The conclusion is your opportunity to wrap up your essay in a tidy package and bring it home for your reader. It is a good idea to recapitulate what you said in your Thesis Statement in order to suggest to your reader that you have accomplished what you set out to accomplish. It is also important to judge for yourself that you have, in fact, done so.
To write an effective conclusion for your blog post, there are several factors to consider. Here are eight tips for writing a conclusion for your blog post:
- Restate the Goal of the Post
- Summarize the main points of the article
- Repeat Your Call-to-Action
- Give a Sneak Peek Into What’s Next
- Keep It Short
- Don’t Go Off-Topic
- Use transition words to create a sense of closure
- Add a concluding statement that relates back to your title or intro paragraph
17. Include links to your own blogs
Lastly, be sure to include links to your own blogs so people know where you stand and aren’t likely to dismiss your post offhand when they see it’s from someone who is trying to sell something.
You don’t want your blog posts to be transparent about their purpose; instead, allow your blog posts’ content to act as bait for creating great leads based on where it’s hosted.
Focus more on educating than selling – because even if you educate at first, chances are they’ll become a lead once they’ve heard enough and feel confident enough in what they’ve learned.
Here’s a quick list of things to check before you hit publish that will help you write a blog post people will read and respond to.
- Read it out loud. This is a pro tip from the best writers I know. Reading your writing out loud is a sure way to catch typos, awkward phrasing, and other grammatical disasters. If you can, have someone else read it out loud to you. You’ll be surprised at how many things jump out at you when someone else reads your copy.
- Check for clarity and structure. Are there any sentences that are confusing? Do you have a clear idea of what you want readers to do after reading your post? Is there anything missing? Is there anything extraneous?
- Proofread the heck out of it. This should go without saying but I’m still surprised by how many people publish blogs without proofreading them first. Get in the habit of proofreading your blog posts before publishing them. You can also use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to catch mistakes or make suggestions on how to improve your blog post.
- Leave room for readers’ comments. How often do you come across a blog post that makes as much sense in the comments as it does in the original post? If you’re anything like me, the answer is not all that often. But when I do find one of those gems, I make a mental note of it and tend to revisit that site more frequently.
– Why? Because I feel welcome. Part of my desire to engage with the post and share it on social media comes from knowing that there’s a community there — that both author and readers are keen to hear each others’ thoughts, and that if I have something valuable to add, then there’s a chance someone might listen.
– The secret to building this sort of community around your own posts is by leaving room for readers to respond — either by asking questions or making suggestions at the end or simply by structuring your content in a way that invites discussion in the Comments section.
Pro Tip! Don’t be afraid of negative feedback either; rather than see it as an attack on your personality or professionalism, look at it as an opportunity to improve your own thinking or clarify misunderstandings others may have about what you’ve written.
There are two reasons you should encourage interaction from your readers.
- The first is that if readers comment, you’re more likely to get high-quality backlinks from other websites.
- The second reason is that the more comments you get, the more people will share your content on Facebook and Twitter. People are much more likely to share content that is already popular than they are to share unpopular content.
The easiest way to get more comments is simply to ask for them at the end of your post. When I do this, I often get three times as many comments as I would have otherwise gotten.
It’s also a good idea to ask questions throughout your post and then at the end say something like “now it’s your turn. What do you think?”
Conclusion
The first thing to keep in mind is that this is not a blog post or an article. It’s a conversation, and it should be treated as such. And, just like with any conversation, the most important goal is to get the other person to talk. Ask questions that will force people to respond. Invite them to share their opinions in the comments section of your blog posts. The best way to do this is by asking open-ended questions.
Focus on creating an engaging experience for your readers, rather than trying so hard to create something that will generate tons of comments and engagement. In short, don’t write a blog post because you want more comments; write a blog post because you want your readers to learn from it and take action based on what they’ve read.
Don’t expect every piece of content you write to generate tons of engagement and comments. Most blogs don’t operate that way and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want your blog posts to be more engaging and encourage more responses, you need to make sure they’re reader-friendly first and foremost.
Thanks for reading.
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