You know some of the most common blogging mistakes (if you don’t, read this). The question is, how do you avoid them? I’m glad you asked; here’s how.
Write a clear headline
A good headline is designed to spark your reader’s interest. It also tells them what to expect from the content they’re about to read. The headline for your blog posts sets the tone in the same way as a front-page newspaper headline; that’s why there’s such a massive difference between headlines in the Sun and the Daily Telegraph.
Your headline also tells people what they’re about to read. It lets them know that if they click, they’ll get five helpful time-saving tips or find out why they need to make a will. When you follow through on the promise your headline makes you build trust with your audience, which is an excellent thing for your business.
Use subheadings
Big blocks of text are scary and off-putting for your reader. When you break your blog post down into sections, you make it more readable and visually pleasing. You’ll also help the people who found you because they were looking for a quick answer to a question. They can use your subheadings to jump straight to the bit they need. They might even read the rest of the post if you’re lucky.
Your subheadings need to be clear, just like your headline, so your audience knows what to expect.
Plan your post
If your headline promises one thing, but the post wanders off from the point, your reader might lose patience. This is especially true if they’re looking for quick information. Even if your post is helpful and well-written, you’ll lose readers if you aren’t giving them what they expected.
Planning your post helps you to work out whether all the information you’re including is relevant to the post’s central theme. If it isn’t, you can still use the points you’ve thought of in a different blog post, so it isn’t wasted.
Get to know your audience
You can write more compelling posts when you know your core audience. It’s essential to be aware of their level of knowledge about your subject and what they need from you. That doesn’t mean that you can’t write for different types of people; you might be able to help beginners with one thing and more experienced people with something else. The main thing is that you’re clear about which one each post is for.
When you know who you’re writing for, you can talk to them at the right level. Being patronising or blinding your audience with science won’t win you any fans.
Think about your call to action
Creating the right call to action, or CTA, where you guide your readers towards the next step you want them to take, can take a bit of planning. Achieving your business goals might mean attracting more leads and growing your audience. Your blog post could ask them to follow you or include an email sign-up form. You could invite people to book a call or have images of your products with links to your online shop if you want to make it easy for them to buy.
There are many potential options, so think about the steps that align with your goals.
If you want to create blogs that will turn your readers into customers, I can help. Book a call, and let’s have a chat.