So the time has finally come. You’ve come to realize the benefits, and have decided to implement a blog post on your company website.
You’re excited. Your creative juices are flowing.
You grab a snack, maybe even a beverage, and perch yourself in front of the keyboard, but are now finding yourself spending an inordinate amount of time staring at a blank screen.
Bummer.
Where do I begin?
What should I say?
Worry not. These are questions that have plagued many bloggers at one time or another, and in most cases, a little structure solves the problem of how to write a blog post.
So enjoy that snack (sharing is caring), and let us show you five ways that, from our experience, help to structure a blog post and get you writing!
1. Grab Headlines
Get Off Your Butt and Ride!
Whoa. Got your attention didn’t I?
Good! That’s the initial purpose of a headline, to grab a reader’s attention. However, that’s not all you should be trying to do. Say you own a business that sells bicycles and accessories, this would be a serviceable headline that grabs attention, however, you’re missing keywords.
Keywords refer to the words or phrases that prospects most often type into search engines when looking for information on certain topics.
So you’ll want your title to key in on these certain words or phrases to better serve your ranking in the search engines. So perhaps you’d change it to something like this:
Get off Your Butt and Ride! Top 5 Mountain Bike Brands and Which is Right For You
Bingo! You’ve now keyed in on prospects that are searching the web for information on mountain bikes to help inform their purchasing decision.
2. May I Introduce Myself?
“I will bring you down, baby. I will bring you down to Chinatown.”
You’ve surely heard the old adage about the importance of first impressions.
And for you guys who have ever served up a limp handshake and a shrug when meeting a girl’s father for the first time, you know it all too well.
We’ll say it again; first impressions are huge!
This is why the introduction to your blog post must be interesting or engaging in some way. Ask a question. Make a bold statement, anything that will grab a reader’s attention while at the same time informs them on what your post is about.
Beyond that, your introductory paragraph should thoroughly introduce the topic and also define any relevant terms that will be prevalent throughout the post.
There’s nothing worse when reading a blog where you find yourself wanting to throw a shoe at the writer because you have no idea what they’re going on about or what these industry terms mean.
What’s SEO? What’s ROI?
Don’t assume your readers are experts on the industry as you are; help them along in your introductory paragraph.
Here’s an example of how you should introduce industry terms:
When considering hiring a search engine optimization (SEO) company, don’t look at it as an expense, but rather a way to capitalize on a return on investment (ROI).
3. Have a Killer “Body”
Three body paragraphs, that is.
And preferably paragraphs so well-written it’ll elicit cat calls from your readers.
More specifically, other than your introduction and your closing paragraphs (we’ll touch on this in a bit), you want your blog post to contain three paragraphs that clearly and thoroughly discuss the topic at hand.
Your readers have questions or concerns; this is why they’ve found your post in the first place. If you want to leave them satisfied, be sure to leave no stone unturned and clearly address your topic. There’s nothing more attractive to online consumers than a free resource of trusted information.
And while you definitely want your post to be highly informative, you’ll also want it to be clear and concise. Be careful not to alienate website visitors by including too much industry jargon.
Also, as stated earlier, you’ll also want to pepper your body paragraphs with keywords or phrases to further help your case in the search engines. This is very important, as search engine visibility can make or break your online strategy.
You have a ton of prospects out on the web looking to find you, be sure that they can. Understand the questions potential consumers may have and generate blog posts focusing on them.
Aside from coming across as an industry expert, you’re also setting yourself up to generate more qualified leads.
4. Closing Time
‘Mo knows a thing or two about closing.
Just as it’s important to properly introduce your blog post, it’s just as important to wrap it up nicely and leave your readers with an ending that’s satisfactory.
There’s nothing worse than seeing a great movie at the theaters, only to have the audience erupt in disapproval at the ending.
Don’t let this happen to your post. Briefly overview what’s been discussed, but more importantly, how it relates to your reader. How is it beneficial for them? What can they get out of it?
The most important aspect of any blog post is the reader must fully understand how it relates to them.
You should have made this clear throughout the body of your blog post, but be sure to fully highlight it here.
All in all, your post should run anywhere from 350-500 words. However, if you can write more on your topic, go for it! There’s no limit on free, helpful information.
5. Include Key Takeaways
After concluding your blog post, it’s a good idea to include this section very last.
The difference between “key takeaways” and a concluding paragraph is that here, you’re simply highlighting the main points of your blog post, whereas a concluding paragraph is about wrapping up the entire post while simultaneously relating the topic to your reader.
This part is simple. Scan through your blog post. What are the main points? You’ll want to include at least three of them here as “key takeaways.”
Bonus Tip: Proofread!
Your blog post can be chock full of great, well-written information, but if you’re spelling and grammar is atrocious, it will frustrate readers.
Focus on making your writing fluid and free of any spelling or grammatical errors. If your blog post is hard to read, chances are readers will bow out before they read the entire post. This isn’t what you want. You want to pull readers in for the long haul.
And for heavens sake, please check your “there, their, and they’re” and your “your and you’re” before publishing your post. If a nickel were collected for every time a published blog post or article included these silly errors, well, we’d have a lot of nickels.
So be sure to scan through your blog post with a fine-toothed comb before it goes live.
Key Takeaways:
- Your blog post should contain a headline that grabs attention, but is also optimized for keywords.
- Introduce your blog topic clearly while also engaging your readers.
- Be sure to include 3 body paragraphs that clearly and thoroughly explore your topic.
- Wrap up your post in a manner that allows the reader to fully understand how they can benefit from your advice.
- Proofread!
Need Help?
If blogging is something you are interested in but are having trouble getting started, contact us today to schedule your free marketing analysis.
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