If you are just getting started on blogging or have been doing it for some time, the most important thing you want is that your blog reaches a massive percentage of your target audience.
Several blogs are circulating on the internet today, and if you do not write killer blogs, yours might go unnoticed and unread- which can be pretty frustrating.
As a blogger, you need to position yourself well so that your content gets the attention and engagement it deserves.
I have compiled a list of things that you can do to write a killer blog post.
1) Know who you are writing for
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The first and most important thing to do is determine exactly who you are writing for.
Remember, you cannot write for everybody; not everyone needs your content or can benefit from it.
In marketing, there is something known as a buyer persona. It refers to a detailed description of the audience that you are targeting.
The benefit of knowing your buyer persona is that you can create content that they can relate to, use, and benefit from.
I always ask myself these questions before I write a blog post, and it has helped me to write killer blog posts;
- Who am I writing for?
- What problems are they facing, and how can my blog address them?
- What do I want to do with this blog post; inspire, guide, educate or motivate?
- How much do they already know about this topic?
- How can I create content to gain a competitive edge and engage my audience?
If you can answer these questions, then you can proceed to the next step.
2) Research about the topic
Researching about a topic before I write has enabled me to provide evergreen content that my audience finds valuable continuously.
Investigate the kind of content that is out there regarding your topic.
By doing this, you will be in a position to know how to write better content and create a competitive edge to make your blog post outstanding.
Through research, I am also able to figure out my customers' pain points- and this is what I address in my posts.
For instance, when writing this topic, “How To Write A Killer Blog Post,” I investigated similar content online to identify loopholes and tips that are missing.
Along with this, identify relevant keywords to use. Using relevant keywords enables your post to be easily found online by people searching for that type of content.
There are several keyword research tools that you can use, such as SEMrush and Keyword Tool.
3) Create an outline
Once you have researched the topic, it is now time to create an outline.
This shows the structure of your write-up.
Ensure that people reading your blog can seamlessly follow through to understand your concepts.
Have one blog post theme, one major topic, and subtopics to expound on it.
Here is a good example. If I wanted to write about cooking pans, I would structure my content like this;
Theme: Cooking pans
Main Topic: Factors to consider when buying a cooking pan
Subtopics: Ease of maintenance, heat distribution, size of cooking pan, best places to purchase cooking pans, etc.
Such a structure makes work easier for you when writing as you do not have to keep on guessing what the next section in your write-up should entail.
Also, remember to determine the number of words that your blog posts will have. They should neither be too long nor too short.
A short article might indicate to your audience that you do not have much to offer, while a very long one might be too overwhelming and time-consuming for the reader.
As a beginner, it can be challenging to determine exactly what works for your audience, but you will discover what works for your readers with time.
Based on my personal experience, I would recommend articles between 800 to 3000 words long.
4) Use outstanding and catchy titles
Like I mentioned earlier, readers online are bombarded with several blog posts searching for information.
They select the best blog to read based on how catchy the titles and first paragraphs are.
Since you want your blog post to be read by many people within your target audiences, you need to ensure that the title catches their attention.
They should be able to like your blog post just by reading the headline and the first paragraph.
If you are a beginner, you might get caught up searching for a unique title. I advise that you are relevant yet straightforward.
A catchy headline does not mean that you use jargon and complicated words. Just go straight to the point. Let it be clear about what you will be discussing in your post.
Your first two paragraphs should also hook the readers into discovering more about your article.
To achieve this, I always like to use a thought-provoking question, an interesting fact, or a personal story that the reader can relate to.
In this blog, you will realize that I used an interesting fact to catch your attention in the first paragraph.
Let me give you another example.
If you were writing about “How to find happiness in life,” your first line can be something like, “ Are you always struggling to find happiness even when things are working out for you? This happens to most of us, and here is how you can be happy in life.”
Such words would hook readers to discover more about the blog if they were suffering from something similar.
5) Create valuable and informative content
Creating valuable and informative content has always been my goal, and I have been able to bring massive traffic to my blog through this.
Readers online are not just reading blog posts blindly; there is something they are looking for. It could be an inspiration, guide, motivation, or any content that helps them to solve a problem.
If you have been reading this article up to this point, it means that you were really in need of knowing how to write a killer blog post.
You have stuck this long because you are finding the tips you have been looking for to become an excellent blogger.
Similarly, when you write your posts, ensure that the audience gains something from what you share.
Address their problems and give them tips that will make their lives better. Uplift and motivate them.
Besides them being happy that they found valuable content in your blog, they will also engage with it.
They will comment and share the article on other platforms like social media, and your article will reach more people.
As a result, traffic to your site will increase, more people will sign up for your newsletter, and will always be on the lookout for your next post.
If you continuously improve your content marketing strategy, your blog will grow immensely, and so will your income.
6) Use personal anecdotes
One thing I love to do and has enabled me to create a thriving business as a blogger is using my personal experiences.
Everybody loves to listen to a personal story because it is based on experiences that they can relate to.
How you began your journey, the successes and failures you have experienced helped people in numerous ways. They can identify opportunities to tap into and also mistakes that they should avoid.
As a blogger, you will experience a lot of success by sharing your personal story. As you write, use real-life examples, and you can be sure to build a loyal community to your brand.
However, some bloggers get it wrong when using personal experiences. You do not need to lie or give a fake story about yourself and your career.
You should be honest because sooner or later, you will start contradicting yourself sooner or later, and your readers will discover that you have been telling them a fake personal story that can be detrimental to your reputation.
If you are a beginner, you might feel like your audience is questioning your credibility. But you can act as a thought leader and provide expert guidance in your blog posts.
Another thing to remember is to have an authentic language and style of writing. People can quickly tell who you are based on the words you use.
Do not portray yourself as a rude and self-centered person. Instead, show the audience that your blog was created for them; it exists to address their concerns, enlighten them, and positively impact their lives.
7) Use images and videos to increase engagement
You can agree with me that very long texts can be overwhelming and boring to read.
Even when you have created evergreen and engaging content, it is still not relevant to make killer blog posts.
Your audience needs to be engaged through compelling images and videos.
These types of contents break the monotony of reading and help the readers understand the concepts better.
You can use infographics that give detailed explanations or illustrations on the concept that you are teaching about.
You could also use videos, the ones you have created, or relevant videos from YouTube.
iStockphotos and Pixabay are excellent platforms to find images for use in your blog posts. Some of the photos are free, while for others, you will need to part with some money to be allowed to use them.
Sometimes, you will need to edit the images to suit your content and style. Canva is an excellent tool to do that.
8) Proofread and edit your work
No matter how good you are in written communication, you are likely to make grammatical errors in your write-up.
Some of these errors include misspelling of words, inappropriate use of punctuation marks, and improper use of words.
Therefore, it is essential to go through your write-up once you have finished ensuring that there are no errors.
If there are errors and complicated words, readers will get bored reading the blog post regardless of how valuable your content is.
You should also check on the flow of words and sentence structure. Use short paragraphs just like the way I have done on this blog post. It helps readers to read through the text easily and fast.
You can hire a proofreader to edit your articles, or you can use tools like Grammarly.
Grammarly is an excellent tool for checking and correcting errors- and I would highly recommend it. It is the one I use.
9) Set your way of being unique
If you are just getting started on blogging, there are high chances of you wanting to be and write like other bloggers. This is a mistake that I made when I first began blogging.
I understand, but this does not always work. You do not have to do what every other blogger is doing.
Come up with your own unique and effective writing style; the language, words, tone, delivery of the message, and engagement based on the type of audience you are targeting.
10) Add a call to action
If you have followed all the steps above, you will come up with a killer blog post.
The next thing you want to do is come up with a compelling call to action. A call to action is basically what you want your audience to do once they read your blog post.
Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter, comment about the blog, share it, or buy your course?
Indicate how they will benefit when they take action.
Conclusion
There are tons of blog posts on the internet today. If you are a beginner, do not get intimidated; you can stand out by writing killer blog posts that stand out.
By knowing your target readers and addressing their concerns, you can write unique content and has never been shared before.
Whenever you are writing articles, have the readers' interest at heart, provide expert tips and ensure that your text is engaging and legible.
Being an expert in blogging takes time and consistency. You must continue to learn every day to perfect your blogging skills.