Are your clients ready to deliver some really exceptional blog content? It seems simple, right? Click "New Post" and then type away. However, there is a science to the perfect blog post. Do you want your clients' blog posts to be successful? Then you need to make sure that every single one of them has all six of these must-haves.
1. A Killer Headline
This is the first step to get readers to actually read the blog post! This means that the headline is more important than most people think. It's not just the icing on the cake, it is the cake. It is what makes people click over to read the rest of your client's content. Think: "Would I want to read this myself?" If the answer is no, you have some more work to do. In fact, some writers believe that the same amount of time should be spent writing headlines as writing the actual content.
So, what exactly makes a headline killer? If your clients are struggling, the top two go-tos are numbers and trigger words such as "how, why, when, what." Use captivating adjectives to draw the audience in. Persuade readers to read the blog post with the headline.
2. A Compelling Introduction
Once readers decide to click to the post, you need to draw them in. If there's any part of the actual blog content that will get read, it is going to be the introduction. This is what helps readers decide to stay or to move on. And you want them to stay.
Luckily for you, there are many great ways to create an irresistible introduction that will leave your readers looking for more. Before you begin, ask your clients why they want to write about this topic. Suggest topics such as personal stories and customer experiences. Address readers directly. Be conversational.
3. Visuals
Whether it's a simple image illustrating the point, a graphic design, or an infographic, it is nothing short of mandatory to add some type of visual element to your blog posts. Not only do visually appealing photos draw readers in to help readership, alt tags added into the HTML can even help with SEO. You can use client photos and images, or you can easily find pictures online that have various attribution licenses.
4. Subheadings
Although the Internet is the first place people go to find information, it's not exactly the place that they want to read a novel while doing so. Subheadings in your blog post help to break up the information so that readers aren't faced with a daunting wall of text. They also help your readers to find exactly what they're looking for. Subheadings let readers know exactly what you're going to be talking about in each section, helping with skimmability as well as SEO. And you will also benefit from your own subheadings--it keeps the blog content on track!
5. Useful and Relevant Content
Now we've gotten to the actual blog content portion. Although every single one of these items are important in a well thought out blog post, your content is what is really going to sell.
First, you need to make sure that your blog content stays relevant to your topic throughout the post. Although there are many components that make up good content, ProBlogger says that the number one rule is to keep it useful and unique. People are most likely to read something that is going to be helpful to them in some way.
6. A Call to Action
Always end your post with some kind of call to action to the readers. Ask them a question relating to the blog post that you'd like them to answer in the comments. Ask readers to share the post if they liked it and make it easy for them by including share tabs at the bottom of all of your posts. The idea is to generate a response and it's your job to incite that response.
What do you think is important to include in a blog post?
