Compelling blog posts tend to have several key elements in common that help them attract readers and foster their interest. By identifying those key elements and incorporating them in your blog posts, you can make them far more compelling in turn.
Focus On A Single Message
The key to any good blog post is to make sure the topic is focused on a single and coherent message.
If a blog post is too broad and tries to include too many messages, it will affect it on multiple fronts including its headline, body, and overall engagement. In short your blog post could be compromised before you write the very first line.
On the other hand if you’re able to narrow down your topic to be more specific and focus on a single message, you can structure it to more effectively deliver that message.
Attention-Grabbing Headline
The headline is the first thing that people will see of your blog post – and could end up being the only thing that they see unless it grabs their attention.
Good headlines should be descriptive enough to let readers know immediately what the blog post is about, and pique their interest so that they want to find out more.
Some ways to make a headline more magnetic and draw more readers are to:
- Use simple and clear language.
- Focus on the benefits readers will gain.
- Try to make it as unique as possible.
- Provoke emotions.
- Convey a sense of urgency.
Lead Paragraph That Hooks Readers
Having attracted the attention of readers with your headline, your next mission is to hook them with the lead paragraph.
Keep in mind that online readers generally don’t have long attention-spans, and so you can’t waste any time on details that are irrelevant. Instead you should get straight to the point and try to interest them in the content as quickly as you can.
It may help to draw inspiration from some of the more common types of leads used in journalism.
As much as it is important to be direct and not beat around the bush – you do want to make sure that the lead paragraph has enough of a build-up to convey the information you’re presenting and make it understood.
Easy-To-Read Structure
The structure of your blog post should be organized in a way that makes it easy to read. It should specifically focus on allowing readers to get the gist of the content when they scan over it – which most will invariably do.
To create an easy-to-read structure you should try to use:
- Relevant subheadings with attention-grabbing titles.
- Bulleted or numbered lists.
- Short paragraphs and sentences.
- Emphasized words in bold or italic.
Ultimately your goal should be to be able to get readers interested in specific parts of the blog post as they glance over it – to either convince them to read more, or deliver the key points of the message regardless.
Good Visuals
Blog posts have become far more visual over the years and it is important to incorporate images in yours. By using good visuals you can make the content more interesting, attract more readers, and convey the message more effectively.
It is important to consider both the content of the visuals and its placement when adding them to blog posts. Additionally any images that you add must be relevant to the content and help to accentuate it or provide further context.
As an added bonus the images you add can help promote your blog post on social media more effectively too.
A Strong Call To Action
Every blog post must end with a strong call to action. It should be designed to sum up the message of the content and drive them towards the next step that you want them to take.
First however you’ll need decide what it is that you want readers to do next. Do you want them to simply think about something? Sign up for your newsletter? Comment on the blog post? Share it with others? Buy a product?
Once you decide on the shape of your call to action, you can find ways to strengthen it. Some of the most effective are to:
- Take advantage of the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO).
- Add time-sensitive conditions to create urgency.
- Trigger emotional reactions.
- Let readers know the benefit they stand to gain by taking action.
Final Words
Try to make sure all your blog posts include the elements listed above – regardless of whether you’re writing them yourself or engaging blog post services.
If you do, your blog posts should be far more compelling and able to attract, interest, engage, and encourage readers to take action. It is important to be proactive about it however, and you should experiment a bit with each element to see what your readers respond to best.
