How to write a blog that people want to read

While blogging started in more of a diary format for individuals, it gradually made its way into the commercial arena and is now used by businesses worldwide. Most blogs today are read by consumers or businesses looking for more information about a subject, product or service.

According to Social Media Today 77% of internet users read blogs and it is clear that online articles help to build authority, with The True Host citing an online survey that shows 68.5% of people think blogs add credibility to a website.

Businesses that blog do so to educate their audiences and build trust among prospects so that when these potential customers are ready to buy, their names are top of the list. But of course, to build that level of trust, it’s not enough to just post some words, you need to stop visitors in their tracks and keep them on your site with interesting and easy to read blogs. Here are some top tips to get your blog read.

7 Top tips

Make your headlines helpful

Sometimes people can get carried away with a quirky headline. They’ll be so focused on coming up with a great play on words or something that stands out, that they forget to make it useful. Internet users are faced with a sea of information when they’re searching for advice and while we all smile when we see a clever headline, we’re drawn into the ones that look as though they’re going to directly answer our specific need.   

Keep the layout simple

In a fast-paced world, most of us want to save time wherever possible, which is why we skim articles at least occasionally, if not often. So, you need to make it easy for people to get what they need out of your blog. Where relevant, include headings, pictures, subheadings, bullet points, lists, bold and italic fonts and keep paragraphs short.

Share your expertise, concisely

When someone lands on your blog page, they are usually there to find a specific answer to a specific question. Keep that question and your audience in mind the entire time you’re writing your blog post. It’s so easy to go off on a tangent, but if the ideas keep coming as you write, jot them down for another post to make sure you keep a clear train of thought for the article you’re working on. And don’t be shy about sharing your expertise. Some companies want to hide what they know to force prospects to make contact for the answers, but people will be more likely to work with you if they can see evidence that you know what you’re talking about and if they can garner some idea of your business culture.

Do your research

The more research you can do to make your blog post helpful, the more likely readers are to stay on your page. If they skim your blog post and can’t find what they’re looking for, they will quickly go elsewhere. Even if you know a topic inside and out, it’s worth looking around to see if there are any research studies that back up your ideas, or any other opinions on the subject that you should be addressing in your piece.

Edit, edit, and edit again

I heard from an editor recently that he had received a press release from a PR agency with more than a dozen grammatical and spelling errors. I was quite shocked by that number, but I do often see PR, blogs and web copy with multiple mistakes in and most of them could be prevented through editing.

Whether you work alone or in a team, read through your work more than once before it gets published. If you can pass it to someone else to read through that’s great, but if you work alone, have a break from the copy before reviewing it for the final time. Reading it out loud is another good tip, and don’t forget online tools like the editor in Word and Grammarly can help you identify some obvious mistakes. (The only caveat here is to make sure that you check the suggestions from these online tools because they are not always right.)   

Give it the attention it deserves

A lot of people underestimate how much time and effort goes into creating a blog post, but it’s worthwhile doing it properly to produce content that is going to get read and even shared. Try and block out some time in your week or month to dedicate to researching, writing and editing your blog, and if you find that other aspects of your job are constantly getting in the way, it might be worth considering outsourcing the copywriting of your blog to a third party to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.

Include a call to action

Once you have done all of this good work to make your blog easy to read and interesting to visitors, make sure you include a call to action, so they know what to do next. Perhaps you want to direct them to another related article, or perhaps you could offer to send them more information on the subject if they enter their e-mail address. Or it might be that you give them the contact details they need to get in touch with you there and then, so they don’t have to go looking for them elsewhere on your site.

Conclusion – upping your blogging game

Blogging is great for business, but it requires a sustained effort to do it well. If you or your marketing resource are time poor but have ambitions for your business blog to be better, contact me today on [email protected] for more information on my experience and my rates, and let’s get people excited about reading your blog!