Top 5 tips for crafting compelling blog posts
As a marketing consultant and copywriter, I've seen firsthand how a well-crafted blog post can provide a huge boost to a small business's online presence. Unfortunately, creating blog posts people want to read isn’t as easy as writing something and sticking it on your website.
Here are my top five tips to help you create blog posts that captivate your audience and drive results:
1. Know who you’re talking to
The best blog posts make the reader feel like the article was written specifically for them; like the writer knew exactly what they needed. Creating a connection in this way quickly builds the trust that’s needed for a purchase. Think about it, you’re much more likely to choose to spend your money with someone who you feel “gets you” and understands what you need, than a random.
To create this connection, you need to know exactly who you’re talking to so make sure you:
Identify Your Ideal Reader: It may feel that people in marketing are always banging on about your ideal customer, but it’s for a good reason. If you don’t already have a clear idea of who they are, it’s time to nail down who your ideal client is. Understanding their needs, interests, and pain points will help you tailor your content accordingly.
Speak Their Language: Use language that resonates with your ideal customer. Try to avoid jargon and technical terms that may confuse or alienate readers, and explain what you mean in a way that they’ll understand when you can’t avoid it.
2. Hook them in
In general, we’re all incredibly busy and distracted. People lead busy lives and with the huge amount of content on the internet now, they don’t have the time (or the inclination) to sift through it in the hope it’s going to provide them with what they’re looking for. Help them know exactly what they’re in for, and capture their attention by hooking them in straight away.
Grab Their Attention Immediately: The first few sentences of your blog post are crucial. Why not try using a compelling question, a surprising fact, or a thought-provoking statement to draw readers in?
Be Clear About What They’ll Get: Clearly state the benefit your readers will gain from reading your post at the start of it. And, then make sure you deliver!
3. Structure Your Content
If your article is hard to read, confusing or is a jumble of information no one is going to bother spending time (or energy) trying to work their way through it. To avoid this:
Use Clear Headings: Break up your text with headings and subheadings to improve readability and make your content easier to scan. If you’d like to find out more about why headings are so important to use read this, and for advice on how to use them read this.
Keep Paragraphs Short: Shorter paragraphs are easier to digest. Aim for 2-3 sentences per paragraph.
Use Bullet Points and Lists: Bullet points and numbered lists can help to break up text and highlight key points.
4. Write in a Conversational Tone
The tone of voice you write in is key to both connecting with your reader and keeping them reading. Unfortunately, most people haven’t really written anything since they were in education and automatically fall back into that style of writing which can be quite hard to read and, if we’re being honest, is often a bit boring. Instead, aim to write in a conversational, friendly tone to make your content more engaging and relatable.
Use Simple Language: Avoid complex sentence structures and overly formal language. Please, please, please leave “therefore”, “wherefore” and “thus” back in your school days!
Write as if You're Talking to a Friend: Imagine you’re writing a letter to your ideal customer.
Use Personal Pronouns: Using "you" and "I" can help to create a personal connection with your readers and help them feel as though you are talking directly to them.
5. Proofread Carefully
Bad spelling and grammar can not only make your article difficult to read, when your work consistently has errors, it can also make your reader think you’re not contentious, credible or professional. Make sure you proof read your blog posts carefully and make any amends needed.
Read Aloud: Reading your content aloud can help you catch errors and improve the flow. You could also use the text-to-speech function in your word processing software so that your computer reads what you have written to you.
Use a Proofreading Tool: Consider using a tool like Grammarly to catch any mistakes you may have missed.
Ask Someone Else to Take a Look: Whether it’s a friend, family member or a professional proofreader there’s a lot to be said for getting someone else to take a look at what you’ve written before you publish it.
By following these tips, you can create blog posts that are informative, engaging, and effective. Remember, the key to successful blogging is consistency. Keep creating high-quality content, and you'll see a positive impact on your business.
If you’d like some help improving your blog writing (or your overall marketing!) get in touch. I can work with you one-on-one or you could join my group programme.