How to Write an Effective Blog Post: Proven Recipe for Content Marketing
Writing a compelling blog post is like creating a delicious recipe in your kitchen. You need the right ingredients, in the correct amounts, in the proper order. And even if you follow the instructions to the letter, your success still depends on the palate of the person tasting your dish.
In both cooking and content marketing, it's critical to start with the audience in mind.
If you've invited a friend over for dinner who happens to be a foodie who regularly travels to places like Italy and France to whet their appetite, they may be disappointed if you serve them a cheeseburger (unless you make a mean cheeseburger that puts all other cheeseburgers to shame).
Likewise, as a content marketer, you must know who your target audience is, what problems they face, and what kinds of information they are looking for. Once those elements are identified, you can whip up a blog post that will entertain, educate, and leave them wanting more. Content marketing at its best.
5 ingredients for an effective blog post:
1. Give them a taste of what’s to come
According to Copyblogger, on average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.
The pressure is on you to create a headline that catches your audience's attention and makes them want to click through to read your blog post. With that stated, don't spend so much time mulling over the perfect headline that you never write the actual blog post.
Instead, begin with a simple working title that conveys the main idea of the post. You can always change it later. (We changed the title of this post several times.)
Often, as you work through the process of outlining and writing the blog post, your piece will take a different shape than you initially thought, prompting new headline ideas as you go. (We know from experience.)
2. Serve the appetizer
“The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead.”
William Zinsser, On Writing Well
The first one or two sentences of your blog post have to hook the audience to make them compelled to continue reading your blog post. In journalism, this is called the lede.
We all know how critical it is to make an excellent first impression. According to Business Insider, people make a first impression of you before you even open your mouth. Your lede is the first impression of your content. One of the most straightforward strategies for writing a good lede is to answer the questions who, what, where, when, and why, as it relates to your blog post.
Another lede tactic is to write your conclusion first. While it may sound counterintuitive, it can be interesting to the reader if you begin with the end, as stories don't always need to be told chronologically. They’ll want to know how you arrived at your conclusion, and will keep reading for all the juicy details.
3. Include a tasty story
"Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can."
Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge
Humans have been telling stories since the beginning of time. Before we could read or write, we told stories. And the love of storytelling is still hardwired into our DNA today.
Stories are easy to remember, can elicit an emotional reaction, and help us to create deep connections with one another. Stories are a great way to both entertain and inform — two hallmarks of an effective blog post.
Also, on a basic level, people buy from other people. So sharing your authentic stories and showing vulnerability will help you connect with your audience and stand out from competitors that publish the same generic information on their blog as everyone else in your industry.
4. Finish strong so they want every last bite
A strong ending can leave a lasting impression on your audience, making them more likely to read more of your content and ultimately decide to work with you or buy from you.
Your conclusion should answer the questions "Now what?" and "Where do we go from here?" In best practice, a B2B blog ending brings your reader full circle, completing the picture and closing out the story.
An effective ending could simply be a summary of the key points of your blog post. Or, to create more engagement, leave readers with a question to ponder and encourage them to answer in the comments section of your blog post.
5. Provide a call-to-action
Your call-to-action (CTA) should tell your readers exactly what you want them to do after reading your post. This means you need to be crystal clear yourself: Do you want them to read more blog posts on your site, purchase your product, or schedule a demo or a sales call? Whatever the best next step, remove the guesswork and provide your audience with a little direction.
The "If/Then" formula is one of the most effective ways to write your CTA. For example, if you've written a blog post about selecting the best hiking equipment for cold weather, your call-to-action might look something like this:
“If you're headed on a backpacking trip this winter, check out our cold-weather hiking gear to keep you warm."
Another example:
"Check out my guide to avoiding frostbite and hypothermia while hiking in cold weather."
When cooking, if you skip steps, make substitutions, add too much salt, or—in my case—walk away from the stove a little too long (oops!), the dish may be ruined. But follow the steps outlined in the recipe, and more likely than not, you’ll end up with something you’re proud to share with others.
Food and words are both “consumed,” and writing an effective blog post is absolutely within your reach. By including each of the ingredients listed above, you’ll create a compelling and effective post that informs your audience while forging a connection and encouraging engagement.
Now, as you may have guessed, here comes our CTA:
No time to write effective blog posts? Why not hire a team of content experts to do it for you? Schedule your free consultation with Comma today. We’ve spent years cooking up compelling, data-backed content that gets readers hooked. Let us whip content to keep your audience coming back for more.