Writing content for your blog can feel like a daunting task at times. You sit down at your computer ready to write but the words just don’t seem to come. Don’t worry, because it’s not just you! Believe me, lots of people struggle when it comes to writing good blog content that their visitors will want to read and engage with. In my several years of writing blog posts, I’ve actually made it a habit of studying influential bloggers. That’s when I realized something – All professional bloggers seem to have a system and structure for their blogging activities. While the structures may vary, they all follow the same form. Depending on the focus of your blog and your personality, the approach you should take might be slightly different. But, if you follow the four important elements below then your blog content should be great and fit your own personality perfectly.
1. Attention Grabbing Headlines – Good blog posts should be about one particular topic, story, or idea. Not 10 or 100, just 1. Before you begin writing your blog post decide what it is you want to write about. Choose a mock headline to give yourself some structure and remember, you can always change the headline later. Good titles should be interesting, descriptive and engaging. Make it read like a magazine headline or a TV newsflash, daring the reader to click the link. Keep in mind, this is the first thing your readers will see and if you don’t do it right it will be the only thing they see.
2. Write a Captivating Lead Paragraph – We all know how much first impressions matter in the real world. The same applies to your blog content! Don’t waste your readers time with frivolous details or silly title anecdotes. Peoples attention can be limited over the internet (significantly more so than with printed content), so your opening paragraph is crucial – Don’t blow it. Start off with a quote, a question, or a bold statement. You’ve got one shot with your opening paragraph, so make it count!
3. Good Supporting Points – Next we move to the body of your article. It’s the “meat” of the post and is what should back up your main topic or argument. Every story or idea you share shoud be backed up with supporting rationale. This will give the readers something they can really dig their teeth into. You don’t need to worry about fitting all of your specifics into a 3-point argument or seven-step process. But, don’t be sloppy with it! Think about what you want to say and how you plan on backing it up. If your blog post is a road, these supporting points are the street signs that will guide your reader to the end.
4. Compelling Call To Action – If you’ve managed to hook your readers attention with a good title, drawn them in with a solid opening paragraph, and then led them through your article with compelling points, now it’s time to wrap things up. Don’t be vague! You don’t want your audience wondering why they bothered reading your post in the first place. Give them something to take away from it. Want them to reflect on a certain idea or do something? Whatever it is, make it clear and actionable.
When writing a new blog post I try to follow each of these four elements, treating them each as a step. Choose the topic and write the headline, then write the lead paragraph, list a few main points in the body, write the call to action, and then edit/revise/proofread. After that, your new blog post should be all set and ready for publishing!
