9 Actionable Steps to Writing a Perfect Blog Post
So how do you go about writing a perfect blog post and another and another until you have a strong blog that warrants lots of views and readers? Constructing a perfect blog post is not only about finding time to sit down and write but is also about strategic planning. The process of writing a blog is similar to cooking a yummy cake: you need high-quality ingredients, a pre-determined process and an audience for your creation in mind.
Here’s a list of nine actionable steps:
Step 1: Analyze Your Audience
If you want to create an informative and useful piece of writing, you need to know what your audience wants and needs. People crave actionable examples and tips, so create a media-savvy text that people might want to share with their friends. Look at what your competitors are posting and how users respond to their content. Create a list of ideas and consider your audiences reaction to each one. Consider why you are writing your blog in the first place. As soon as you are ready with a compelling topic, you can start researching and writing.Step 2: Pick an Eye-catching Headline
80% of people will read your headline but only 20% will continue on to read the rest of the text. If you want to grab your audience's attention, you need to pair your content with an interesting and eye-catchy headline.Step 3: Hook Your Readers
If your headline is great, your audience might keep on reading. The first thing they will read is an introduction. It should reveal the main idea, show your attitude toward the problem and include a hook to keep them interested. Remember one thing: this intro must be compelling and must not spill all the tasty morsels (i.e. actionable tips) that you will include in the rest of the article.Step 4: Improve Readability
Some writers don't put their readers first. They try to use difficult words or sentences to look clever and lose their readership in the process. People want to read a good article where all ideas are clear and interesting. If you want to do your readers a favor, enhance readability! Put subheadings and include lists to make your text more scannable.Step 5: Add Visual Content
There are many types of visual content: images, photos, pictures, graphs, charts, videos, infographics. No matter what your text is about, you need to include visual content that support your ideas. Creating visual content to pair with your article proves that you take care about your readers and is better for visual perception.Step 6: Insert Relevant Links
When you write a post, you must do research. And to prove the credibility of the information, you need to insert relevant links. Once you find some useful information to get an insight, use this link in your post. Give your audience an opportunity to read more on the topic beyond the scope of your article.
Step 7: Include Inspirational QuotesLots people love reading and sharing quotes and shares are important to the success of your blog. The more shares you have, the more traffic you will get. If there's a place for an inspirational pull quote, use it. Don't try to fit an inspirational quote somewhere where it does not belong but consider what kinds of quotes will work in your particular blog post as you're writing.
Step 8: Edit and Proofread
Making mistakes is normal, but errors in your writing should be avoided whenever possible. As soon as you are done with your text, take a pause to relax and come back to make it better: edit and proofread. Consider asking a friend or a professional to check your work.Step 9: Share Your Text
Once your blog post is ready, it's time to publish it. But clicking publish is not enough. You need to promote your perfect blog post via social media and email. Promotion is akin to the serving a beautifully made cake. You’ve mixed up the ingredients, baked it and now you will delight your guests by serving it up on a beautiful plate.
Guest blog post by Emily Johnson of Omni Papers.