So you’ve had “create a blog post” on your to-do list for a few days now.
But each time you sit down in front of the keyboard, you end up looking at a blank screen…unsure of where to begin.
Sometimes starting a blog post can be the most difficult step of the entire blog writing process. But normally once the pen gets flowing – errr keys get pushed – the content seems to flow!
Need some help with thinking of a blog topic, a headline, or a great intro? Wondering how to write a blog post that will bring traffic to your site?
Below are some blog writing tips that we follow ourselves at Sarah McKenzie Copywriting Services!
How to Write a Blog Step #1) Understand Your Reader
Whether you’ve been blogging for years or have just started, coming up with fresh topics that will resonate well with your audience can be difficult.
Creating an effective blog post takes plenty of time (and sometimes sweat and tears, too!)! What’s the point in spending your (already limited) time and energy on an article that won’t be read by your target market?
Spend some time researching your audience and conducting market research to learn about their needs. This can be as simple as generating a question on your social media sites asking your audience to post industry-related questions that they want answers to.
Taking the time to fully comprehend your readers helps you create copy that won’t just get read, but shared, too.
How to Write a Blog Step #2) Generate a Topic
Now that you have a better understanding of your audience, you need to brainstorm some topics that would interest them. What do they want to read?
Check out your competition and see what type of topics are getting shared and commented on regularly. Perform keyword research to identify what search terms are most frequently getting searched in Google related to your industry.
Don’t forget about using the power of social media for your topic research, too! Follow industry leaders and read informative articles to remain up-to-date on industry trends and news. These can be great sources for time-sensitive, trend-related blog articles.
How to Write a Blog Step #3) Know What You Want to Say
It’s time to start creating your blog article now! Decide what your spin will be on the topic you’ve chosen. Maybe your competitor did a great how-to article that trended well on social media. Instead of copying that idea, make it your own. For example, change your competitors’ how-to post to an article that discusses what to avoid instead.
Your article’s intro must be engaging enough to entice a reader to continue reading. Make your article’s topic apparent right away. Doing so helps the reader to quickly identify whether your article will be useful to them or not. You don’t want to drive potential traffic away when your article seems to lack focus!
Whenever you get stuck writing, take a step back and review what you’ve written so far. Are you staying focused on your topic? Are you creating content that will keep your audience interested and engaged until the end?
In a lot of cases, experiencing writer’s block is a result of not knowing how to clearly articulate your thoughts. Take a break, and come back to your keyboard with a fresh mind.
How to Write a Blog Step #4) Craft a Catchy Title
We always create our titles after the article writing is complete.
Wondering why? From our experience, we’ve found that generating a topic right away can really roadblock our writing process. You can get so stuck on creating the perfect title that you become too frustrated to write the actual article.
After we start writing the article itself, topic generation becomes much easier for us. It almost seems to write itself! Keep in mind that the title is even more important than the content since it is what compels your audience to continue reading or not.
Don’t forget about your meta description! This helps your article appeal to readers in search results.
Conclusion
Sometimes even with the best intentions, crafting your company’s blog is just not your forte. And that’s okay!
Knowing when to outsource certain tasks to experts can bring a range of benefits to your company. If you’re interested in learning more about outsourcing your company’s blog to an experienced Toronto copywriter, we would love to help!