Four Top Tips to Help You Write Engaging and Informative Blog Posts

These recent statistics show the value of blog posts and why it’s worth investing your time in writing them.

• 77% of internet users read blogs (Source Daily Infographic 2022)

• 68.5% of people think blogs add credibility to a site (Source: Social Marketing Writing 2022)

But if you’re not sure where to start or what you should include it can be a bit overwhelming.

Based on my recent guest podcast with Rosemary O'Shaughnessy, from Digital Content Manager discussing this very topic I wanted to share what we talked about and pull out four key tips to help you when writing your own blog posts.

TIP ONE: UNDERSTAND THE AIM OF YOUR BLOG POST

Before you start writing anything think about what you want your blog post to achieve. What’s the goal of your article? What do you want your reader to know once they’ve finished taking it in?

This could be a whole manner of things depending on the type of blog post you’re crafting. For example with this blog post, I want the article to give business owners a few tips to help them craft their own blog posts so it doesn’t seem such a scary task.

For your wellness business the aim could be;

1. Answering a question you always get asked so you can link to it every time instead of always typing out a lengthy response

2. Sharing tips on a topic that’s recently been in the news that you can link to the services you provide (e.g. managing burnout). You’ll want your audience to find it useful and for it to get them thinking

3. Give reasons to take action based on the results you’ve experienced. Here’s a good example you might want to check out to help you get the idea.

TIP TWO: WRITE A HEADLINE THAT REALLY DRAWS YOUR AUDIENCE IN

Include keywords you know your audience will be searching for and try to include the word YOU so you’re immediately talking to your ideal client.

Offer them some value so they know it’s worth investing their time in reading what your blog post is all about.

You’ll see from the title of this blog post I included the word you and the keyword blog post (as blog post writing is a service I provide), plus it’s (hopefully!) easy to understand what the reader will take from the piece.

TIP THREE: FOLLOW A SIMPLE STRUCTURE AND INCLUDE:

• A unique introduction that gives people focus and clarity on what they will learn from reading your blog post. You’ll see that in action if you scroll back up.

• The main body which will be the meat of your blog post! This is your opportunity to share your knowledge and experiences. In this section, you’ll want to present the pain point, problem or challenge your ideal client faces alongside the solutions you can offer. Use formatting to make it easier to read and give the reader some things to ponder after reading the blog post. Here’s an example of how I encouraged my readers to take action after reading my May blog post.

These are not 'salesy' or pushy, they are just advice so your ideal client starts to trust you and value your opinion!

• A call to action so your reader knows what to do next. This could include getting in touch with you, finding out more about you, downloading a freebie, or maybe booking a call to talk more about what you’ve shared in your blog post. Scroll to the end of this blog post to see a real-world example!

TIP FOUR: REVIEW WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN BEFORE YOU HIT PUBLISH

You want to know what you’ve written reads well and makes sense! So it’s important to always read your blog post out loud to yourself and get someone to sense check it once you’re happy. If you want to ensure there are no typos or grammatical errors it is worth using a programme like grammarly.com to help as well.

And a little bonus tip… REPURPOSE YOUR BLOG IN DIFFERENT WAYS

You haven’t just created a blog post, you can utilise your article in so many different ways. Consider taking sections to create quote graphics, tip sheets, infographics, and longer LinkedIn posts.

I’ll be using the below graphic on a post to highlight why blog posts are still an important piece of content to consider using for your business.

Now you know a little bit more about writing a blog post you may want to get down some of your initial thoughts and ideas. I’d encourage you to:

1. Consider the Top Three questions you always get asked by ideal clients. Could one of those be turned into a blog post?

2. Think about the existing content you already have (LI posts, podcasts, emails). Can that be turned into a blog post using the structure above?

3. What tips do you have that you know are really valuable? Can you include them in a blog post?

You can write amazing blog posts! Just give it a go! Test to see what works and what your audience responds to. The more you write the more confident you will feel!

These are just four topline tips that I’ve pulled from the guest podcast I appeared on. If you want more and are interested in delving deeper you can listen to the complete episode.

If however, you’re still not feeling the writing vibe, or it’s just taking too much of your precious time you can always outsource your blog posts to me! Feel free to get in touch so you can finally make blog posts happen.

Whether you choose to craft your blog posts yourself or work with me to ensure you have relevant, regular content for your website, now's the time to get started.