Smart businesses blog. There are several reasons for doing so, such as having topics to post on social media, increasing search engine awareness, and communicating with customers. Getting this content read and seen, however, requires you to know how to write killer content for blogs.
To start with, blogs are much different than any other form of content or traditional marketing you may already have in place. A press release or white paper, for example, is highly structured and is hardly worth a read for the everyday social media follower. The same goes for social media posts, which are brief, and Web content you write to fill up your pages.
Blogs most closely resemble the news articles you scroll through on media websites. While many of these resources have blog writers, though, publishing a blog through your brand requires a different approach.
What’s in a blog?
The first step to learning how to write killer content for blogs is to understand the components that make them up. Below is a rundown of the different elements you can throw into your blogs to maximize readership, engagement, and information delivery:
- Headlines: A blog’s title is the most important sentence in the piece. Think about it — on Facebook, for instance, people scrolling through newsfeeds will likely see a linked blog and read the title. If it’s intriguing enough, they may click the link to learn more. The headline, of course, needs to make a claim that is later proven throughout the body of the blog.
- Imagery: It is essential for business bloggers to find a provoking image to post alongside a blog. One is the bare minimum, however, and having charts, graphs, infographics, and other pictures in a blog can help readers understand your content.
- Multimedia: Consider going a step further by posting videos, podcasts, and other forms of media in your blogs. A lot of news websites, for example, have brief slideshows of “related content” that can lead readers to other posts.
- Links: One of the most important lessons in learning how to write killer content for blogs is linking. Anytime you reference another post on a different website you should throw in a hyperlink. The same goes for any resources you use. While adding links may seem like a good way to direct traffic away from your blog, it helps with building a blog’s credibility and ultimate page rankings. Don’t forget to add links to your business’ website and other blogs you’ve published as long as they’re relevant.
- Format: You need to keep your blogs consistent in terms of format. Depending on the blogging platform you use, you have different options.
Styling a Blog
While blogs are surely different than a news-type article, they do have one thing in common: Both need to be scannable. This is when readers are able to pick out main points from a blog without spending too much time reading it. While you may think every word you write deserves fair and equal attention, most Web users are compulsive and fidgety when reading blogs.
To make a blog scannable, use lots of sub headlines, bullet points, lists, and shorter paragraphs. You can also break up your content with images and links for additional reading.
The blog’s style, of course, is the most important part of a blog. Unlike a press release or traditional Web content, blogs are much freer in terms of language and structure. Blogging gives businesses a chance to speak directly to customers without going through public relation hoops or over-promoting themselves (blogs should not be advertorial).
And there you have it, the basic steps for learning how to write killer content for blogs. In the future, be on the lookout for more insights into choosing blog topics and maximizing readership.
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