How to Write a Blog Post That Turns Readers Into Fans
“Have you ever read a blog post and thought to yourself, “Wow. This is something I would totally write”?
Well, you are in luck.
I am here to tell you how to write a blog post that is engaging, informative as well as entertaining. . Meaning, I am going to give you some great tips on what makes for a good blog post.
A lot of people think that writing a blog is as easy as sitting at their desk and banging out a few paragraphs about something they know well.
In reality, it takes more time and effort than most people realize, to create an engaging blog post. There are many different aspects of blogging that make it a not-so-easy task for those who have never done it before or don’t do it on a regular basis.
For instance, each paragraph needs to be highly informative with relevant facts but also written concisely so that readers can easily grasp all the information being conveyed within just one or two sentences.
It’s easy to think that all you need for a great blog post is an idea, but there are many other factors to consider.
What tone should the post be written in? What words should be used? How much information should be included?
The answer to these questions will depend on your audience and purpose for writing the blog post. Let’s jump right in and learn how to create a blog post the right way.
What Makes a Great Blog Post?
A great blog post is one that creates a strong and positive impression on the reader.
If you want to be successful, it’s important to give readers what they want and engage them in such a way that reading your posts feel like more than just another chore they must get through to fulfil their daily task list.
There are a few things that you can do to ensure that the blog posts that you write will be well-received and enjoyed by your readers.
The first step is to consider what your audience wants to get out of any given post. For example, if you are writing for a website or publication for teenage girls, then it’s safe to assume that your audience wants content that’s fun and relevant to their interests.
What you wouldn’t do is pitch a post about the politics of the election season because your audience probably isn’t interested in such topics.
Secondly, it’s important to give readers what they want using engaging writing that includes short paragraphs, lists, bullet points and other visuals that break up large blocks of text.
Long paragraphs make it difficult to maintain a reader’s interest and in some cases, people won’t even read them because they are intimidated by large swaths of words on the page.
Now let’s see how to write a blog post that is fun and easy to read while still providing important information.
How To Write A Blog Post: Step-by-Step Process
Writing a blog post isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it’s definitely not something that can’t be learned by everyone. Here’s how to write a blog post that people want to read.
Know Your Audience
Before you even think about writing your blog post, make sure that you take the time to consider who will be reading it.
Who are they? What do they like? What don’t they like?
Knowing as much as possible about your audience is crucial because it ensures that you provide content that appeals to them and keeps their interest.
For example, if you are writing for a dog enthusiast website, they probably won’t want to read about how cute cats are or anything else related to felines.
When you write for a specific audience, the chances of success are much higher than when you try to appeal to everyone.
This approach is called targeting your niche market and it will help keep your passion alive while increasing the likelihood of success in content marketing.
Know Your Purpose
After you know who your audience is, it’s important to think about what message you are trying to convey with your post.
Why are you writing the blog? How do you want the reader to feel at the end of it?
Remember, your blog post should be geared towards creating a positive reaction so that readers will eagerly anticipate the next one.
Use a Catchy Headline
The first thing that people see when they come to your site is the headline of the article. Make sure that it’s catchy and makes them want to read more.
I’ve been writing blog posts for years. And I can tell you from experience that sometimes the headline is all people remember.
It sets the tone and mood of your article and it needs to be compelling and interesting. It needs to be the kind of headline that gets people hooked and drawn in without any additional prompting or pushing on your part.
The following are five tips for writing a great headline:
1) Make sure you have an excellent hook at the start of your headline
2) Use words that evoke an emotional response such as humour, excitement, or anger
3) Show what it’s like to use your product or service
4) Show how it will make someone feel
5) Create a sense of urgency
Start With an Outline
When you sit down to write, don’t just let your fingers fly across the keyboard as quickly as they can until you’ve hit the word count.
Start by creating an outline that includes your topic, how you plan to present it and the main points that you want to address so that even if you don’t have a clear idea of what you’re going to write when you start, at least you have some sort of direction.
An outline is one of the most important steps in writing a blog post. It can be done after you have your idea or even before, but it’s always best to have something written down that serves as a guide to what you are going to talk about.
If you think of an idea and then sit down to write the blog post, you might forget what it was that you wanted to write about once you get started.
This is why an outline should be your first step. It serves as a guide to help you remember all the important points that need to be included in order for your post to be successful.
So no matter how many times you need to edit the post, you will always have a list of the main points that need to be included.
Put in the time to research
Put in the time to research any topics you are unfamiliar with before writing about them. Do not write a blog post without knowing everything there is to know about your topic.
This means making sure you have an excellent understanding of every aspect and angle that the subject takes.
It also means doing a good job of looking for other sources if you’re going to be talking about things that other people have already written about in-depth.
If you’re going to be blabbering on about something that other people already know more about than you do, then it will reflect badly on your blog and this will turn away readers.
It’s important that your content always reflects your expertise in the subject matter so make sure to take time to prepare before you even begin to write each post.
Hook Your Reader With Everything You Write
A good hook is all about catching your reader’s attention from the very first sentence. In order to do that, you need to understand what gets people excited and what pisses them off.
Stay away from topics that will bore your readers and instead, write about things that are important to them or have some sort of emotional appeal.
For example, if you are writing for a financial firm, then you can use human interest stories about people who found success in business because they started with small companies and had the right ideas at the right time.
You could also use case studies about how people who used services offered by the firm were able to improve their quality of life.
Be Enthusiastic
This might seem like it goes without saying, but enthusiasm is one of the most important things you need to have in your writing.
If you’re not enthusiastic about your subject, readers will notice and most likely feel the same way.
Be enthusiastic and use your authentic voice to engage readers.
To create this type of enthusiasm, you need to show passion for what you’re writing about because if you don’t like it, then there is no reason for anyone else to like it either.
To avoid this problem, just pick things that really interest you and include all the points that make it interesting for other people as well.
Use numbers in your blog posts to back up your claims when appropriate and use action verbs when discussing benefits or solutions.
Use Interesting Insights
A blog post without any interesting insights is just a “read-it-or-not” piece.
But when you have something worth sharing, it brings life to the post and makes it more engaging.
There are many ways to do this when writing your blog posts.
You can write about your personal experiences or observations, or share someone else’s experience as an anecdote (for example, an article) as long as you make sure to cite them properly.
You can also write about relevant statistics or facts to back up your claim and make it more credible.
Inspiration can be found everywhere!
When you’re out and about, you might notice something that reminds you of a recent experience that would be perfect for a blog post (or vice versa).
It’s important to include illustrative examples, anecdotes, or quotes to make your writing more engaging.
People love to read stories and seeing how things work in real life is a great way to engage them.
The more you can connect with your readers, the better chance you have of holding their attention long enough for them to get through your entire article.
Once you’ve hooked them, they’ll be anxious to finish reading what it is that you have to say.
If you are writing about something controversial, then it can be useful to include someone else’s opinion in your article to add an extra element of interest
For example, if you wanted to write a post about how dogs make better pets than cats, then you could interview a person who recently adopted a cat from the local shelter and see what they have to say about their new pet and how it compares with a dog.
Never copy or plagiarize ideas without crediting the original source because this will get you into a lot of trouble!
Include Visuals
Include visuals like photos or video clips in your posts to create more interest. If you can, include charts and graphs to support your claims and if possible, use real photos instead of clip art whenever possible.
People often respond better to visual information because it makes the entire experience more engaging and enjoyable for them.
Sometimes even a simple infographic will be enough to put readers at ease and give them an idea about what they should expect to learn from your article.
Including visuals in your posts will make your content stand out from the rest and will also help you convey information more efficiently.
It can also help you illustrate a point succinctly and make it easier for readers to understand what you are trying to say.
Videos can be used to illustrate complex concepts with examples or demonstrations. Photos can be used to show your audience what you’re talking about in the article, like the company’s headquarters or a sketch of your idea.
Use Facts and Statistics
People want information that they can trust, so it’s important that every article you write has some sort of factual basis to make your argument sound more credible.
You don’t need to have a PhD in a particular subject to write about it, but you should have some basic understanding of the topic at hand.
If you are writing about business practices in China, for example, then you should have a general idea of what life is like for people who live there so that your article doesn’t sound ridiculous or offensive.
You can do this by getting a first-hand account of what it’s like to live in the area and by reading articles published by respected sources so that you can cite them as verification for your work.
Use Bullet Points or Numbered Lists
Use bullet points or numbered lists in your posts to make your blog post more interesting. There are many purposes for using bullet points or numbered lists in your posts.
- They can provide a roadmap of what to expect to find in the blog post, which you may find useful if you are looking for a specific topic or information.
- They can highlight key points that you want to emphasize within the blog post, which will hopefully engage the reader’s attention.
- They can help organize information or steps that you want to go through or teach, making it easier for readers to follow along with what you’re discussing.
Bullet points are especially good when you’re discussing multiple pieces of information at once. Numbered lists are most often used with steps in a process, such as how-tos.
End with a Call-to-Action
The conclusion is just as important as the introduction because it serves as a final call-to-action for your readers.
You want them to feel as though they have gotten all the information that they need and now it’s up to them to take some kind of action by either sharing the post on social media or following your blog for future updates or subscribing to your mailing list.
An effective way of getting readers to take this step is by writing a strong closing sentence that creates an emotional appeal.
For example, if you are writing a blog post about the benefits of healthy eating, you might want to include a sentence that stimulates emotions such as “Show your children all the delicious meals they can eat when they grow up!” or “Learn from those who have been there and lost weight so you too can have a strong, confident future !”
Writing in this way will grab the attention of your audience because they are being motivated to take action.
It might be helpful to include an image or video clip that depicts someone who has lost weight, or perhaps has a healthy child enjoying all the different kinds of food he or she can eat because of these changes.
A call-to-action at the end of your blog post is an effective way to motivate your audience to take some kind of action so remember to strategically include one at the end!
Read The Blog Post Before Publishing
Proofread your blog post very carefully before publishing to avoid any spelling or grammatical errors.
It may seem like a lot of extra work, but it will make the finished product much more professional and increase the chances that someone will want to share or comment on your article.
When proofreading, look for sentences that sound wordy, redundant, or awkward.
It might be a good idea to read it out loud as well because you can sometimes notice things that you would miss if you were only looking at the words on the page.
In addition, delete any filler words from your post.
If you think of a better word to use, then replace it.
Not only will this make your post more engaging, but it will also show that you have a clear grasp of the English language and a professional writing style.
Remember, your blog is a reflection of you and your brand so put in the time and effort required to make it the best that it can be!
Concluding Thoughts
Your blog post is the foundation of your marketing strategy. A great blog post will attract more traffic to your website, which translates into more conversions and sales for you.
But how do you write a great blog post? What are some key steps that can help make sure that yours stands out from all the rest?
We’ve covered just about everything in this article on what makes a good blog post with tips on every step along the way.
And now, it is time for you to go through each point one by one so you have an easy-to-follow process for writing a successful piece of content yourself!
If there’s anything else you want to know or need advice on as far as creating compelling content goes, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
