Blog sample

-Insert Amazing Title Here-

As you’ve probably heard, if the title doesn’t entice people to read your blog or article, it doesn’t matter how amazing the article is, no one will read it. You can have the most amazing piece of literature but if no one scrolls down, does it really make a sound?

How Much Effort Should You Put into the Title?

Some experts think you should spend as much as half of your blog writing time coming up with an amazing title. Sounds crazy but if the title is boring or cliché, all that work you put into the blog might have been for nothing.

And if you don’t have any of your key words in the title, people searching for it, won’t find the blog. So, include the most relevant keywords in the title. That way when it shows up in the search results, it will seem like the best choice based on the title and description.

Subtitles are Just as Important as the Main Title

Don’t use up all of your creative juices and energy on the article and have nothing left for the title – or subtitles. Those are often cliché summaries of what you’re about to read, but it’s an opportunity for the writer to do two things:

1. Keep the reader wanting to continue
2. Show the reader what the blog is about. If a reader isn’t sure that your article is of benefit to them, they should be able to skim through the subheadings and know what it’s about. If it doesn’t benefit them in some way, you don’t want to waste their time.

What About the Stuff Between the Subtitles?

Yes, content is important too but it has to be structured in a specific way to have people read it through. A person buys a novel because he wants to read it. They don’t mind a page full of text with long sentences and big descriptive words. They paid to read it. But Blogs are closer to advertising where a person wants something with the least amount of reading possible. They are searching and therefore are like jumpy deer, ready to sprint at the slightest chance of this being the wrong blog. Here are some of the ways writers keep readers from dashing off at the first sign of a shiny object.

• Keep the wording simple and conversational like you’re talking to a friend.
• Use shorter sentences so it’s easy to read quickly.
• Break things up with bullet points or lists (see what I did there?)
• Leave lots of white space (short paragraphs) so it doesn’t feel like a burden reading a wall of text. The faster they can scroll through your blog, the more they’ll feel like they’re making progress.

Keep Interest High

We all like to think that our writing is interesting enough to keep the readers glued to the page, but there are ways to keep things interesting. One trick I like to use is anticipation. I make readers wait a little bit before giving them the information they’re waiting for. Do you know why?

I’ll tell you in the next blog… Just kidding. Anticipation is like waiting for Christmas to open your presents. People will keep reading because they have to learn the answer. But the payoff has to be as good as the wait is long. If I make you wait till the next blog, I better have a blockbuster of a gem or you won’t trust me again. I don’t want to be considered Clickbait.

The Toughest Thing to Incorporate into a Blog

This is just my opinion, but I think the hardest thing to bring into a blog is humor. If I’m writing for myself, it’s easier to incorporate this because it’s my personality. If I’m writing for someone else, I’m always worried that I might go too far out of their comfort zone.

There are a couple of ways I add humor but the easiest is through stories. The best stories are ones that your customers can relate to which is why you want everyday occurrences, not stories that make you look like a hero.  

There are more tricks and tips to keep blogs fresh and interesting while conveying helpful information to the reader. Get in touch with me and I’d be happy to discuss.