How to write an engaging blog post that people actually want to read
As a content creator, learning how to write a blog post is essential. Learning how to write an engaging blog post is crucial. If you want to grow your audience and make money blogging, you’ll need to ensure your content reaches, entertains, and converts readers.
7 tips to help you write an engaging blog post that people actually want to read
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1. Research, Research, Research
Hold up. Before you start writing, it’s important that you do a little research. There are a few types you’ll want to do before you get going: competitive research, topic research, and SEO keyword research.
Competitive Research
Competitive research is like Instagram stalking. It’s mandatory. You’ve got to see what other people are posting to know what type of content you want to create.
Start with a simple Google search of your topic. Take a few minutes to check out the top-ranking pages (aka your competition) to see what type of content already exists.
What is the format of these blog posts?
Do they include infographics, videos, shopping guides, product reviews, etc.?
Seeing what other people are—and sometimes more importantly aren’t—doing can help you find a unique angle.
Topic Research
It’s important to fully understand the topic so you can be what fancy SEO (search engine optimization) experts would call an ‘authoritative source.’ A.k.a you know your stuff… or at least you seem like you do.
Regardless of whether you’re an expert on the topic or a total newbie, it’s important to have accurate, up-to-date info. Try to reference (and link for good SEO juju) to reputable sources like academic, government, or professional organizations’ websites.
If you’re an affiliate marketer, you’ll also want to research the brand and product you are promoting. Bringing up unique features or selling points can make your review seem more legit. For example, you might explain how the key ingredient in an anti-aging cream works, or that the t-shirt you are recommending is made using fair-trade, organic cotton.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is an important part of making sure your blog post reaches your target audience and provides the information they were looking for. Here’s a tip: you can research the best SEO keyword for your blog post for using the plugin Google Keyword Planner.
2. Create Content People Actually Want to Read
A kick-ass blog post also needs to be original AF. Remember when your high school English teacher would lecture you on plagiarism. I’ll skip the lecture, and just say that the same advice applies here.
This may sound obvious, but you also want your content to be interesting. Don’t get so caught up in SEO rankings and pushing content out just for the sake of consistency that your content becomes blah. Trust me, no one likes to read boring blog posts.
3. Make it Personal
Honesty and transparency are important in blogging, especially if you are an affiliate marketer. When recommending a product, it’s important to disclose that you’ll be receiving a portion of the sale.
Be honest with your readers. Tell them your true opinion of the product, regardless of how much you may be getting paid. Tell a personal story. Document using it. Do a before and after to show off the end results. The more personal you make your blog post, the more successful it will be.
Here’s an example of a blog post I love by Stylish Weekly about how to look even younger in your’s 30’s (note the personality within the writing)/
From time to time, you may end up not liking a product you are being paid to promote. If you didn’t like a product and are unsure of what to do, reach out to the brand and discuss how you should handle the partnership moving forward. FYI, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not liking something, and you should never feel forced to continue promoting a product.
It is estimated that the average reader spends less than a minute reading a blog post.
4. Make it Pretty
It is estimated that the average reader spends less than a minute reading a blog post. Yikes! So what can you do to prevent readers from ghosting your post? Make it pretty. Adding shiny things increases the chances of catching and keeping your readers’ attention.
Here are a few ideas of what to add: photos, GIFs, graphics, videos, and pull quotes.
5. SEO Optimize
The next step in how to write a blog post is ensuring it’s SEO optimized to perfection. If you’re taking the time to write a blog post (and also researching how to write a blog post, props to you sis), it’s worth taking the time to ensure your content will actually be seen.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. This is essentially a fancy way of saying your content makes it to the first page of Google’s search results which in turn helps more people to see your content.
When it comes to how to write an engaging blog post, you want to ensure you are creating posts that can actually be discovered by your audience. By SEO optimizing your post, you are helping people find your blog through Google’s search engine.
6. Proofread, Edit & Spellcheck
There are no ifs, and’s or buts about it. You need to reread your blog post before it goes live. Typos, spelling, or grammatical errors and confusing sentences can have readers clicking the back button far too fast.
Once you’ve finished writing, run the blog post through spell check. Read it out loud to yourself. Have a friend look it over. Whatever helps you get the kinks out!
I HIGHLY recommend downloading the plugin Grammarly to help you when writing blog posts! It has saved me so much time finding spelling and grammatical errors!
7. Mobile Optimize That Baby!
Making your blog post mobile-optimized is more important than ever
In 2019, 53% of web traffic came from mobile devices, and that number is expected to be even higher in 2020. This means that making your blog post mobile-optimized is more important than ever. After uploading your post, double-check it on your smartphone or adjust the dimension of your browser window to make sure that everything still looks flawless.
So here are some tips for creating an engaging blog post that people actually want to read!
In my next blog post, I’m sharing ways ways you can start making money through your blog working with brands!
