Encouraging you to start blogging and teaching you to blog in WordPress brought us joy and fulfillment. Therefore, it was clear we needed to dedicate time to the art of mastering blog post writing. An additional incentive was that blog posts represent one of the key elements of audience engagement and search engine optimization (SEO). They tend to rank higher in the search results, especially if they’re on the longer side, say, over 1500 words. Consequently, even if this isn’t your website’s primary purpose, it makes sense to create a blog section. With that said, let’s jump into how to write great blog posts.
1. Understand your audience
Before you put a single word on the page, you must know to whom it is directed and what they expect. Ideally, this is an audience that shares your age or generation, knowledge level, and interests. However, depending on the post, they might be vastly younger or older and have diverse education levels and values (traditional or modern).
The best way to acquire this pivotal bit of information needed to write great blogs posts and gauge the response is to use analytics addons for WordPress. Using the collected data, you can adjust the tone, complexity, and structure, and chose whether to write in the first (usually recommended) or third person.
2. Utilize these keys to blogging success
We discussed ways to be a successful blogger in the past. Because some of the guidelines intersect, repeating them would be redundant. Pay special attention to tips 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 10, and, if your blog is of that type, tips 8 and 12. We’ll touch on some of those guidelines shortly.
3. Create a compelling headline
We mentioned headlines and their importance in tip 6 above. However, there are no strict rules with creating them; they solely depend on the type of audience, and their motivations. Additionally, your workflow determines whether to start with a headline, then write the content, or pick a fitting headline once the blog post is finished.
One thing is for certain – people adore “how-to” titles, and many of the great blog posts people write start that way. However, you shouldn’t refrain from using numbers either, like “5 Killer Ways to Increase Website Speed”. You can also go into the specifics, such as “How Our Side Hustle Created $2,414 in Passive Income” or ask intriguing questions such as “Who Owns WordPress?”
4. Research popular topics
No matter how great the blog posts you write, if the title and the content are obscure, very few, if any, visitors will discover and read them. So, you want to cover topics that have an audience already, preferably a global one. There’s no shame in looking at your competition and seeking those with the largest number of comments and social media shares.
Then, think of the angles they’ve missed to cover or alter the tone and structure. In short, make it your own. Alternatively, look into “blog post ideas” e.g., long lists of questions meant to ignite the creative spark. They resemble writing prompts or plot generators that help some short story or novella authors immensely.
5. Create an outline
You don’t build a house without a detailed blueprint and instructions for the contractors. The same applies to a blog post. Before you start writing an introduction or a paragraph, create a rough outline of the sections that make up the blog post. This will prevent you from going on tangents and keep you focused on a section at hand.
6. Keep the intro short, straightforward, and captivating
The introduction to a blog post is, next to the headline, one of the first things a visitor sees. As such, hooking them with a superb opening motivates them to keep reading. In contrast, a boring and long intro makes them run for the door immediately. Therefore, a concise introduction (roughly 100 words), that contains a keyword (or part/variation of it), and grabs the attention right off the bat is crucial.
7. Break up the blog post
A massive wall of text might be one of the greatest blog posts on Earth, but it’s certainly difficult to get through. It also prevents the visitors from spotting a certain headline, paragraph, bullet point, step, or quote, when they take a gander at the content. And, since skimming is how visitors ascertain if your blog reads well, has the information they need, and is easy to follow, not formatting the blog post means shooting yourself in the foot. Here’s what we suggest:
- Keep paragraphs short: This improves the readability; some bloggers prefer to keep each paragraph no longer than 1 to 3 lines.
- Use sub-headings: Structure your blog posts so that the headings follow a hierarchy. Stick to H2-H4 unless H5 is unavoidable.
- Use bullet points: Keep them informative, compact, and of similar length, approximately 1-2 lines each.
- Utilize numbering: Whenever you’re demonstrating a set of steps, use Numbered lists or add numbers to headlines.
8. Add relevant, high-quality images
Although they don’t include any writing, images are undoubtedly a vital component of superb blog posts. Always add a Featured image that is pertinent to the blog posts you write. Moreover, you can divide the blog post via fitting in-text images. Their origin is up to you. Original images add personality and promote writer-reader connection. In their absence, you can use royalty-free images or subscribe to a paid image-sharing service.
9. Fact check everything
Bloggers don’t know everything. Actually, they sometimes have no clue about the contents of a blog post before they start writing. So, whether you’re well-versed or oblivious, don’t trust your memory or assume everything you read is true. Use multiple sources to cross-check facts, and, unless you get confirmation, avoid mentioning them. If a visitor calls you out on it, thank them, verify their input, and make changes without fuss.
10. Force readers into action
To connect with visitors and provide value to them, use some of these Call to Action techniques:
- Ask them to reach out to you (comment, DMs, phone, e-mail, etc.)
- Ask them to share the blog post on social media or via word of mouth
- Suggest they can sign up for an e-mail newsletter
- Pose a question or present an invitation
- Create urgency or scarcity, especially when selling a product