Talking about great blog posts, these are the ones that we would love to read through all the way to the last period. These are the ones we couldn’t help but click. These are the ones we’d hate to miss sharing with our friends or posting on our Facebook feed. These are the posts which might even go… viral!
Check these points out to see how you can create an effective blog post the right way.
1. Plan out an organized structure
The structure of your blog is much like any structures you find in nature: it’s the backbone of the beauty you’re about to unleash. If you want your blog to work well, then provide it with the right “spine.”- Start with a kick-ass title that makes an impact.
Include intriguing words that would spark people’s curiosity. Begin with an interesting question or most-used search terms such as “How,” “Why,” “How-To,” “Do,” etc. For example, “How-To: Speed Up Your WordPress Site.” Using numbers and attention-grabbing adjectives are also a great way to excite people. Another example, instead of using “Craft An Effective Blog Post,” here the title is “12 Most Creative Ways To Craft An Effective Blog Post.” However, don’t forget to keep your title accurate and easy to understand. - Craft a captivating introduction.
Unify the purpose of your audience to the purpose of your blog post. And what else might they ask for afterwards? - Write a body that delivers.
In a lot of cases, messages are better delivered with examples. Use a current issue, trending topic, person, or even your audience. Live examples are always helpful for people to understand what they might have missed in a particular section of your content. - End with an engaging conclusion.
Wrap your point up without reiterating the details again. Use CTA (Call-To-Action) to encourage engagement. It can be done either by asking questions, feedback or even asking your readers to sign up or share the content. You may start by saying “If you find this post useful, please… (share, tweet, etc.)”
2. Use an enticing format
I used the word “enticing” because the structure alone won’t get the bite you wish. By spicing up your structure with better formatting, you’ll find your users staying longer on your blog posts. Try to incorporate these few tricks in each of your posts:- Use short paragraphs, lists and numbers.
This makes your content much more organized, easier to scan, and of course, more straightforward. - Use subheadings.
Subheadings add an extra accessibility to your sections by showing them a glimpse or description of what it’s about. - Do not use a font smaller than 12 pt.
Play it safe, especially for when people view your content from a low-resolution screen. - Highlight or emphasize important words or phrases.
Help your readers scan what they’re looking for.
3. K.I.S.S. your reader
K.I.S.S. your reader (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Simple, conversational words — the hacks to a blog post with personality. If you can write a blog post as if you’re talking to only one person, for example, then both of you will enjoy it. If you plan on using technical words or abbreviations, be sure to introduce them one-by-one in the first instance.4. Get visual
Break the ice by adding relevant and catchy images. You might want to add more of what people may not yet expect in your content, such as slideshows, videos, diagrams, or comic strips. Whatever may serve best to let your audience know what’s going on. Make sure, however, that users need not download any third-party plugin or app for these to show up.5. Add graphics that can be pinned
Other things that can be shared or pinned independently on social networks (such as an infographic which can be shared as is, while allowing your post to be featured in a more visual way) are truly helpful to make your readers want to scroll for more, and even keep them coming back to your blog. Infographics are fancy and helpful to both of you; your reader gets the gist of your writeup while you get an extra fame score.6. Stalk your competitors
Your competitors might have done something that you haven’t tried yet. Or you missed an essential part or detail that you deem helpful to your readers. Don’t feel guilty about this though, it’s called “best practices.” After all, it’s not really copying at all (unless you really did copy their work), it’s just that the method used really works and you want to use the same method as well.7. Sprinkle some interactive content
This is not guaranteed or required to work on all blog posts, but adding them at the right time and in the right topic can really help get more traffic and good feedback. Some samples would be:- Polls and surveys.
Get real-time reaction from people using polls and surveys — and after a given amount of time, don’t forget to post the results! - Interviews.
Interviews are also a fantastic way to get a little more personal with your target readers. Ask specific, spontaneous questions and you’ll get more fans in return.
8. Review the quality of your blog post
Make sure your post is valuable. Keep it simple but significant. Ask yourself these before publishing:- Is the content of my blog post relevant to the title, and vice versa?
- Are my users finding the information that they seek?
- Will my target audience be able to comprehend my ideas?
- Did I help them solve a problem?
- Did I deliver what I promise?
- Did I provide alternative solutions just in case?
9. Grammar and spelling
Now here comes one of the most trying events experienced by virtual writers around the globe: unintentional grammar and spelling mistakes. You may want to visit Hemingway App or Spell Check for a quick scan.10. Optimize for search engines
After achieving the best quality possible for your content and your readers, you also need to optimize your post for search engines for extra traffic. Here’s how:- Provide internal links and use anchor text.
Assist readers by allowing them to jump from one section to the other, or even to a different but related page. - Use ALT attributes on your images.
Adding this attribute will make sure that your non-text elements will still be comprehensible when viewed by people or devices with different needs. - Add keywords, but don’t overdo it.
Use synonyms of your keywords to avoid repeating the same words. Do a keyword research to see actual competition. Here are some tools that can help you: Google Keyword Tool / Google’s related search terms. - Add a unique and relevant meta data.
Your meta data (such as meta title and meta description) are also powerful to guide search engines into parsing your content. - Include your main keyword (searchable term) on your post title.
Higher importance is given by search engines on the vital parts of a post, such as the headline. Inserting your keywords while still sounding natural will generate more leads. - Add plenty of tags and add your post in the right category.
Tags work much like keywords except that people can also use them to find relevant articles outside of the current post.
11. Make sure to have other helpful elements
- Include your author info and introduce yourself in a spritely but concise manner.
People would love to know you more. Sometimes, they would only add you after being enticed by your bio. - Add sharing buttons as well.
People are lazy. People are busy. So you want to make it easier for them to share your content. - Add On Hover Pin It Buttons.
Pinterest is big, so you want to make it easier for users to share your content, especially if you have a lot of images on your site.
12. Spread the love
Of course, you need to promote your new post to drive traffic back to your blog. Distribute your post across various channels such as email, social networks and forums. Here are some pointers to cross-promote effectively:- Use the top social media networks
Share on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest to promote your post. - You must optimize your post for each social network.
For maximum engagement, make sure to create unique title, write a short but relevant description, use high-resolution images and mention people in your post, if applicable. - Use active communities in Google+ or groups in Facebook or LinkedIn
Be sure to add relevant description and attractive image get more engagement. - On Pinterest, include your post’s link in the “source” and in the “description” part as well.
Don’t forget about group boards! Find group boards with a lot of followers, ask to join and repin your post. - Reshare your post every few days (or weeks).
Use automated apps such as HootSuite or Buffer. Remember, not everyone will see your update the first time around. - Take advantage of your email newsletter.
If you regularly send out newsletters to your subscribers, it’s best to include your blog post links in your email.
We’d love to hear from you! Please leave your thoughts and comments below.
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