Do You Know the Foundation of a Great Blog Post?
Do your blog posts stink? Maybe they’re just the opposite, and they are incredible pieces of online content. Chances are, they are somewhere in the middle of those 2 extremes.
So, how do you make your blog posts great, rather than run-of-the-mill or average?
You can create an epic, memorable, valuable and shareable blog post when you include the 5 Great Blog Post Elements covered in this email series. The most important element is your headline.
#1 – Eye-Catching, Search-Stopping, Click-Magnet Headline
The first thing your readers encounter, before they ever make it to your blog, is the headline or title of your post. They stumble across this when they are surfing the web. It is competing against other search results, and needs to be memorable.
It should also stop a web surfer dead in his or her tracks. Your headline should make a promise and draw an image or picture in your prospect’s mind. State a fact or ask a question.
Start off with “How To …” or “The Top 10 …”, a couple reliable headline starters. Be controversial and edgy, make a huge, massive claim (only if you can back it up), and appeal to emotions and desire.
Advertising legend John Caples is famous for saying …
“If the headline is poor, the copy will not be read. And copy
that is not read it does not sell goods.”
You may not be trying to sell anything in your blog post. It may simply be an informative resource or a funny story. Regardless, the importance of your headline cannot be understated. You worked very hard on your blog post content. Make sure it gets read, by fashioning a headline that begs to be clicked.
Why Proper On-Page Design Is So Important
Have you ever stumbled across a blog post that was effortless to read? Your eyes traveled easily down the page, and before you knew it, you were at the end and staring at a compelling call to action.
This probably happened because of the second element of great blog posts …
#2 – Effective Design
The greatest content in the world will simply not get read if it is unappealing to the eye. You need to lay out your post as if you were an interior decorator, with a place for everything, and everything in its place. This means you should be using …
Sub-Headers Like This One
Sub-headings make your content scannable. It allows your reader to first scan the page to find blocks of content he or she wants to read. You should also include …
Bullet Points
- Bulleted lists are easy to read
- They should be short
- You want them enticing (not like these)
- And they need to spell out benefits
To improve readability, you should also used italicized, bold and underlined text, but don’t overdo it. Your sentences and paragraphs should be short and to the point. Remove all fluff. If a sentence can work without 1 or 2 words, take them out.
Make sure your paragraphs are of different lengths and sizes. Align your content to your left, and don’t let pictures, charts and graphics break up the left-hand alignment. When reading, the eye should be able to travel smoothly down the left side of the page to start each sentence and paragraph, without being interrupted.
Speaking of images and graphics, that subject leads perfectly into your next email in this Elements of a Great Blog Post series. Keep an eye on your in-box, and we will see you soon.
Is A Picture Really Worth 1,000 Words?
Think about some of the most engaging blog posts you have ever encountered.
There is a good chance that there were images, graphics, charts and/or videos somewhere on those posts. Text is fine, it is obviously needed to communicate your message. That copy that you work so hard to create can become rather tiresome to your readers, however, when it is the only thing on the page.
This is where another great blog post element comes in.
#3 – Images
Text with video and images does a better job of engaging your audience than text alone. Blog posts are also much more likely to get shared on social media and emailed to friends when there is some type of graphical presence on the page.
Another reason why great blog posts always have some type of pictures or videos is because they are so good for reiterating something you just said. Sometimes explaining a process can be difficult. However, when you add a video, a photograph or picture that shows very specifically just what you have written, it improves your reader’s level of understanding.
Images are also a great way to break up the monotony of a long blog post full of text. It helps your reader’s eyes scan the page when they first encounter your post, so they can quickly discern if they are interested. Videos and pictures are additionally excellent tools for adding your personal flavor to your blog posts, and search engines look upon them favorably.
Remember the old saying, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” Start adding images and video to all of your blog posts today, and your rewards will be more traffic, better engagement and happier readers.
Is Your Blog Post Easy to Share?
Do you remember growing up as a child how your parents taught you to share? They didn’t know it at the time, since the Internet was not created yet, but they were instilling in you a basic element of writing great blog posts, the 4th in this series …
#4 – They Are Easy to Share
Before the advent of social media, you published your blog post and linked to it in forums and chat rooms. You tried to take care of SEO and meta-tags to help drive free traffic. You may have even purchased traffic.
Today, all of those practices make a lot of sense, and you should be using them. However, the massive power of social media means you absolutely must be on board this free traffic provider.
Look, we understand. It takes time to create social media profiles to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and all the other social media networks worth your time. Once you’re up and running, it takes even more time to consistently develop a presence there.
One way to simplify your blog post integration with social media is to allow your readers and followers to do all the hard work for you.
Social share plug-ins are available for every blogging platform. They require no coding or HTML expertise, and display prominently at the start and end of every blog post. With a single click your readers can share valuable blog posts with their favorite social networks.
There are also network-specific tools like “Tweet This” links that greatly improve the odds that your readers will share your content. If you write a blog post and don’t make it easy for your readers to share with their friends on social networks, you are doing yourself, your market and all your hard work a disservice.
Is Your Blog Post Easy to Share?
Do you remember growing up as a child how your parents taught you to share? They didn’t know it at the time, since the Internet was not created yet, but they were instilling in you a basic element of writing great blog posts, the 4th in this series …
#4 – They Are Easy to Share
Before the advent of social media, you published your blog post and linked to it in forums and chat rooms. You tried to take care of SEO and meta-tags to help drive free traffic. You may have even purchased traffic.
Today, all of those practices make a lot of sense, and you should be using them. However, the massive power of social media means you absolutely must be on board this free traffic provider.
Look, we understand. It takes time to create social media profiles to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and all the other social media networks worth your time. Once you’re up and running, it takes even more time to consistently develop a presence there.
One way to simplify your blog post integration with social media is to allow your readers and followers to do all the hard work for you.
Social share plug-ins are available for every blogging platform. They require no coding or HTML expertise, and display prominently at the start and end of every blog post. With a single click your readers can share valuable blog posts with their favorite social networks.
There are also network-specific tools like “Tweet This” links that greatly improve the odds that your readers will share your content. If you write a blog post and don’t make it easy for your readers to share with their friends on social networks, you are doing yourself, your market and all your hard work a disservice.
What Is a Call to Action, and Why Is It So Important?
You know the importance of an attention-getting headline and effective design if you are attempting to create a truly great blog post. You understand the power of images and video. You also realize that when you make your post easy to share on social media platforms, your happy readers and followers help you get the word out, and bring you free traffic.
Those are all important elements of creating an epic blog post. Which brings us to our 5th crucial piece of the pie …
#5 – A Strong Call to Action
A call to action (CTA) is simply that. You are telling your reader what to do, what action to take, what they should logically do next if they have read your blog post. This should be located at the end of your post.
However, your call to action should also be mentioned multiple times throughout your content. Be reasonable here. If you compose a short 350 word post, you would not want 5 different places where your call to action is displayed.
The alternate is true. If you create an epic blog post of 2,000 words that is getting a lot of traffic, it doesn’t make sense to have a single call to action listed only at the end of your content.
Remember to make your call to action short, simple and to the point. Use as few words as possible, and tell your readers exactly what to do. “Click Here Now” has worked for so long because it is simple, unmistakable and hard to ignore. Don’t forget a strong call to action at the end of every blog post, and at strategic points throughout your post as well.
