5 secrets for great blog posts

Whatever industry or business you are in, the most important focus of of your business and marketing strategy nowadays should be your communication.

Clear and consistent storytelling is essential both for getting your product noticed and for engaging people’s interest. In this 24/7 “always on” digital world, anything that doesn’t attract attention, no matter how brilliant an idea or opportunity, is danger of disappearing into the ether.

Writing blog posts, whether for sharing on LinkedIn, or direct with your customers is a brilliant way to keep people engaged and to make sure that your business stays front of mind. Unfortunately, your blog is competing for attention with hundreds of others and it’s essential that yours stands out from the crowd. Take a minute to think of all the webpages, apps and blogs out there and think of how many you simply flick past without a thought. Now think about how you are going to make your communications stand out. Because if you can’t, there’s really little point bothering.

I spent two decades in the newspaper and magazine industry, creating front covers and slogans and endlessly finessing words and pictures to ensure that our magazines stood out and grabbed people’s attention. Many of the lessons from that industry apply equally to writing a blog or creating your own digital content.

Here’s 5 key thoughts that I recommend you apply to your blog to make it stand out from the crowd.

1. Headlines must have intrigue.

Where we used to compete for people’s time, now we compete for their attention. The easiest way to grab attention is with your headline. There’s an art to writing a headline, but it’s not about being clever with words. The answer is simple. It has to create intrigue.

Put simply, it must interest a reader enough to make them want to know more. Examples of great headlines are “how to lose your beer gut in three easy steps”, “the secret bars of Sydney” and “5 easy steps for writing great blogs” (see what I did there?)

2. Every Picture Tells a Story

The second secret is just as simple but the one I see people fail to do so often, is to pick an intriguing picture, again remembering that the job of the picture is to attract people in. Years ago, pictures were always a problem. Especially finding good ones. That’s all changed with the arrival of Google. Finding a picture now is as easy as calling up advanced search in Google Images filtering for pics that are free to use commercially. Be creative and you’ll soon find a great image for the post… and be sure to credit the owner.

3. Make four important points.

So we haven’t talked about the blog itself and already we’ve learned two of the five killer tips for writing a great blog. The third, inevitably, is about content. When I used to coach people to make presentations, a key thought was to write down three or four things they wanted to audience to hear and then to build the presentation around them.
Blogging is no different. Before you start writing, work out what are the four things you want people to get from reading your blog and then think of the best order to write them.

4. Don’t start at the very beginning

My fourth tip for writing a great blog is NOT to start at the beginning. Lots of people I’ve coached talk about that feeling of having a blank sheet of paper and not knowing where to start.
Many years ago, I was taught a simple technique which I still use every time I write. It basically involves leaving the start and end of your work till last. Rather than agonise over a clever intro, get stuck in to writing 100 words or so on each of your key points, more if needs be. Don’t worry about context, just get started and then work out a logical order for them to appear. Before you know it, you’ve got the body of your blog ready to go.

5. Tell the reader what you want them to do next

The fifth and final tip is based on the reason you are here in the first place.

If you’re creating some content, a blog or some news for your website, then at the end of the day, you are either looking to sell something, raise awareness, create interest or all three. The last paragraph of your blog should make that objective crystal clear.

It’s what people who have grey hair and careers in marketing used to describe as a Call To Action. Unlike great works of dramatic fiction, this isn’t a time to be flowery in your language. Explain what you are offering and tell people what you want them to do next. In simple language!

Hopefully you’ll find that this simple structure helps you approach blogs more confidently. I welcome your feedback and please share if you enjoyed this or found it useful.

And if all fails, and the prospect of writing your own blog is just too frightening, then drop me a line. I earn a living these days writing blogs for organisations in a range of fields, from investment to education to sport. And I’d be happy to discuss doing it for you. alun@govcomgroup.com.au.