The most successful bloggers all have one thing in common—they make blog posts people actually want to read. It seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Bloggers are supposed to write blog posts with the reader in mind.
The problem, however, is that some bloggers just write whatever and however they want, believing that someone out there will want to read it. But with the online public’s short attention span, it has become much harder to create content that can catch someone’s interest and hold it until the very last paragraph.
Another challenge for bloggers, especially for travelers, is updating their blog regularly. Fresh, regularly updated content drives traffic to your blog and makes it easier for people to find your blog on the internet. If you’re always on the go, you need a reliable laptop or netbook and a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot device that you can use anytime and anywhere to update your blog.
If you’re a new blogger or a blogger struggling to gain readers, here are some tips to help you create blog posts people will read from start to finish:
Know what you’re talking about
Bloggers are expected to be an authority on the topics they cover in their blogs. Building credibility is important in the blogging industry, which is why every single blog post has to be well-researched and accurate. Even if you aren’t an expert on something prior to writing a blog post, doing some research on the subject will at least ensure that each statement in the post is true.
Readers can always tell when you don’t know what you’re talking about, and they won’t read your blog post if they feel that you aren’t a credible source.
Use beautiful and relevant visuals
Reading a blog isn’t just about reading—it’s also a visual experience. This especially applies to blogs about cooking, home decor, beauty, or DIY. Even if you have an extremely well-written blog post with tons of helpful insight and information, some readers might still go for a blog post (about the same topic) that has mediocre information but fantastic, visually appealing photos.
Not a professional photographer? That’s fine. With the right camera gear and equipment, you can learn it as you go along.
Aside from photos, you can also add a video or an infographic to break up the text. Just be sure that each visual element supports your message and doesn’t disrupt the flow of thought.
Create a catchy and accurate title
Having an awesome blog title is extremely important. Titles are among the first things readers will see when they come across your article, so make it as catchy as you can. Also, make it accurate—avoid lying or misleading people. Do not jump on the recent trend of making clickbait-type titles that either sensationalize the topic or do not accurately sum up your blog post. While clickbait can sometimes be effective in catching a reader’s interest, it will not help you keep it. Readers may end up resenting you for misleading them.
Write an interesting and relevant intro
An intro can make or break your blog post, and it can be the deciding factor on whether or not the reader will choose to continue reading.
Take great care when writing your introduction. Remember that its purpose is to grab someone’s attention (much like the title) and to ease the reader into the rest of your blog post’s content, so make it interesting, exciting, concise, and most of all, relevant to the topic.
Use language and vocabulary that sound natural
It depends entirely on your blog niche and your audience. Most of the advice online about the use of language in blogging is to write in a simple and casual manner, and while this will work for most blog niches, it does not work for all. For instance, if you run a blog for a highly intellectual audience, using lofty vocabulary will probably be okay—preferred, even.
There’s no need to dumb it down or make it too intellectual and lofty, unless that’s the specific language your content calls for. Just use language that sounds most natural for you, your target audience, and your blog’s niche.
Always use proper grammar and spelling
Anyone who writes for a living—including bloggers—have to write well. Avoid making grammar mistakes if you can, and always proofread your work at least twice before publishing. Also, if you’re not too confident with your spelling skills, use spell-check! Grammar and spelling mistakes can make your blog posts hard to read, and that can turn readers off.
You don’t have to be an excellent writer, but at least put in the effort to ensure there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes!
Make it easy to read
People tend to just skim through articles rather than read them word for word. Most of the time, they end up giving up on it halfway through. Heavy articles (chunks of text with barely any white space) tend to scare readers off.
So take readability into account when writing blog posts. Structure your articles in a way that makes them easy to read.
Some tips to follow:
– Avoid large chunks of text.
– Use headings and subheadings.
– Avoid long, overly complicated sentences.
– Include bullet points.
– Use bold, italics, underlines, and strikethroughs (in moderation).
– Try not to ramble.
Creating blog posts that perform better and make people actually want to read them is all about catering to the reader. Think of your blog post as your product, and the reader as your customer; to ensure that your product sells, you need to design and create it to meet the customer’s needs—not yours.
