Do you want to write an awesome blog post? Good for you – you’re in the right place! This guide will teach you everything you need to know about writing a killer blog post, from start to finish.
It all commences with understanding the different types of blog posts and knowing what makes a great one. From there, we’ll give you some tips on how to organize and format your content for maximum impact. Finally, we’ll share some secrets that will make your blog posts stand out from the crowd. You’ll be a professional blogger in no time!
Types of Blog Posts
Yes, it’s definitely a Content Jungle out there. There are so many types of blog posts. And each has its own set of rules, best practices, and conventions. But don’t worry – we’re here to help you make sense of it all. Here are some of the most popular types of blog posts:
How-to/Guides
Tutorials are a great way to showcase your expertise to your clients. The purpose of this blog type is to teach your reader a new skill in a simple yet effective way: use a lot of pictures, videos and examples!
Our advice here is to write the information the way you wish it was conveyed to you. Use short sentences, simple words, and diversify your examples.
Listicles
When we think of digestible information, we think of list blogs. They’re quick to read, easy to remember, readily accessible, and simple to share. They’re often used when recommending something to your readers, or when teaching a piece of new information that revolves around your niche.
Lists are a guarantee to catch your reader’s attention; bonus point if you add an outline at the beginning of your blog. This screenshotable material will ensure great retention of your website.
Checklists/Cheatsheets
To-do lists are a versatile and easily publishable blog type. Instead of teaching your readers meticulous details about a specific topic, you rather give them a list of steps to follow to achieve the desired goal. You probably have seen a spring cleaning checklist or a recipe somewhere online: they make life easier and they provide the reader the satisfaction of checking an item off the list. Here’s an example for you:
- Read Content Jungle’s latest blog post.
- Share it with friends.
- Attempt to write a blog.
Newsworthy content
To better understand this blog type, we invite you to think of your local news station, but instead of sharing the latest political news, they switched to focusing on your niche. This concept applies to every industry, and your job as a writer would be to communicate to your reader the latest buzz!
Interviews
Publishing an interview with an important influencer in your niche is a guarantee to take your blog to the next level. Not only does it bring credibility to your blog, but it also will bring extensive traffic – especially if the interviewee shares it.
Product reviews
Product reviews are a great way to generate interest in your products and to get people talking about them. You can also use them to build relationships with other businesses by offering honest feedback about their products. If you have a blog that focuses on a particular niche, consider doing product reviews for products related to that niche.
Others
From funny stories, FAQs, infographics, guest blogging, case studies, and quizzes to open letters, blog types are there to help you express yourself to your audience. Choose a blog style that will allow you to be your truest self, and that will help you communicate the information most smoothly.
9 Steps to Create a Blog Post
Now that you know which blog type you’re interested in writing, organize yourself by following the steps below. Writing your first blog post may feel burdensome, but trust us, you’ll get used to it in no time.
Step 1. KYR: Know Your Reader
You’ve probably heard of KYC (Know Your Customer): the standard that financial institutions use to verify the identity of their customers. Well, similarly to how the KYC invites you to obtain detailed information about your customer, the KYR invites you to learn more about your reader or potential reader.
Ask yourself this simple question: who’s my reader? A busy working mom? An anxious college student? A restless employee? A dynamic CEO? A curious teenager? You see, the possibilities are endless. The better you know your reader, the easier you’ll figure out what to share with them. You’ll be able to connect with them, solve their problems and answer their questions.
At Content Jungle, we dive into the target audience of each and every one of our clients, and we invite you to do the same. By thinking about what will resonate with your readers, you’ll be able to create buyer personas for your brand.
Step 2. Brainstorm and pick your topic
Have you ever written about something so dear to your heart, yet after hitting the publish button you barely got any views? Well, say no more, there are ways to avoid this scenario.
When brainstorming, try to find the sweet crossing between ‘what you want to write about’ and ‘what your audience wants to read about.’ For instance, if you’re a food blogger that really wants to share their latest trip to Italy, and your readers are busy working moms, a great topic for your next blog would be: how to make pizza in less than 20 minutes. You have not only appealed to your niche of time-conscious mothers, but you also built an essential connection.
At Content Jungle, we perform keyword research to discover the most popular topics in your industry. This is essential for two reasons: first, because you want to make sure people are actually searching for the content you’re creating and second, because you don’t want to spend hours writing a blog post that nobody will read.
Step 3. Create a simple yet effective outline
Trust us on this one, an outline will save your life (and your time).
Outlines have benefits for the writer and the reader: First, they will allow you to visualize the main ideas you wish to write about and will help you to stay organized. Second, readers will be able to navigate your blog quicker by directly scrolling to the needed information. Blog Post templates will allow you to kick-start your blog-writing journey most effectively. Pro-tip from our Content Jungle writers: having a good outline can unclog the worst writing block! You can easily write some sentences under the section you feel inspired to write about, then come back to the least exciting parts when you feel like it.
Step 4. Choose an attractive title
They all say to never judge a book by its cover, but let’s be realistic, the cover is the first thing that people will see. Between thousands of entries on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page), your blog post should be the one readers click on. But, how to get these precious clicks?
A good working title is exciting, short (max. 60 characters), and specific to your niche. Tell your readers what they should be expecting. Use numbers to catch their attention. Highlight in your title that you’ll solve a problem. Once you tick all these boxes, you’re ready to move to the next step.
For example, your topic could be pizza making, yet your title would become: “How to make sourdough pizza in less than 20 minutes.” I’ve never made sourdough pizza in under twenty minutes, but I’d personally click on that title!
Step 5. Don’t be too harsh on yourself
Here’s some advice I wish I was given earlier in my writing career: don’t be self-judgmental while writing. You’ll have plenty of time to edit your draft and refine your phrases, but for the moment being, just write whatever comes to mind freely. Use your business voice while having your target audience in mind: use a friendly tone for youthful readers, and a more serious tone for delicate subjects. Running a food blog while using legal jargon is never a great idea!
If focusing on writing for extended periods bothers you, use the Pomodoro technique: set your timer for 25 minutes, write for the whole period, and when the session ends, enjoy a 5-minute break.
Step 6. Write your blog while being SEO-conscious
While writing your blog, you need to make sure that people are actually going to find and read it, and that’s where Search Engine Optimization comes into play. Use strategic keywords, shorten your URL and meet readability standards to be boosted to the top of the SERP. If that seems like too much work, you can always contact experts like Content Jungle to help you.
Step 7. Get to the point, quickly
How many times did you try to learn how to make Italian pizza, yet that random food blogger was rambling about their trip to Mishawaka, Indiana? Yup, we know the feeling. There is an unofficial consensus amongst blog readers: food blogs are way too long.
While filling your blog with affiliate links, pop-up advertisements and sponsored content are great financial benefits, the defining trait of today’s reader is impatience. In short, lengthening your blog for the sole purpose of adding more advertising material is not recommended.
Try breaking up your text, using short sentences, and crafting a catching hook – your readers will thank you.
Step 8. Add life to your blog with multimedia elements
Everyone loves a good meme every now and then. Images and GIFs animate your blog post and bring it to life by captivating the attention of your readers. It’s also an easy way to break the ice and keep the friendly tone of your blog. Additionally, multimedia elements are assistance tools for some folks that might find it harder to focus otherwise!
Some websites offer royalty-free images, and others such as iStock and Shutterstock sell stock images that you could consider buying for your blog.
Here’s a pro-tip from Content Jungle: write alt-text for all images to improve your website accessibility, and help with your SEO optimization. A small description added to every image or video on your blog could really take your content to the next level.
Step 9. Edit your work
Everyone’s least favorite part: finding the ‘for’ that was written as ‘four’ and ‘two’ that was written as ‘too.’ These careless typos and errors can really ruin your blog post and undermine your hard work because, at the end of the day, your credibility as a content creator is at play. Consider adding the Grammarly extension to your computer to simplify the editing process.
Ask yourself these simple questions: Have you committed any plagiarism? Are there any grammatical errors? Is your punctuation on point? Is there any redundancy?
After stepping away from your computer for a couple of hours, you could consider reading your blog post backward in hopes of finding the last stubborn typos. We find that this trick always works best. Asking a friend or a colleague for proofreading is also advised – as they say, it takes a village to raise a child.
13 Secrets to Create Killer Content
So, now we’ve looked at some basics of writing a blog post, let’s move on to how you can make your content stand out. Here are 13 tips for success:
- Choose a clickable title that is compelling and specific enough. If you’re uncertain about your creative skills, we recommend this title generator.
- Use short paragraphs to avoid overwhelming your reader.
- Adopt a snappy tone if applicable to your audience. If not, use a moderately professional tone.
- Make jokes, but don’t go overboard.
- Use stories but keep them concise.
- Use hyperlinks when possible for more credibility.
- Add multimedia elements such as GIFs and photos to add life to your blog.
- Simplify your vocabulary.
- Use bulleted or numbered lists.
- Hook your readers with a catching opening.
- Remove all unnecessary words – you’re not trying to reach a word count in college!
- Promote your blog post across social media platforms.
- Read, edit, repeat.
Final Thoughts: Write an Awesome Blog Post
In this article, we discussed how to write an awesome blog post. Starting a blog can be great for individuals wishing to express themselves, or businesses aiming at improving their brand image. Either way, the rules remain the same: whatever you write, do it with confidence.
By choosing the adequate blog type for your brand, niche, and readers, you’ll be able to communicate the information effectively. Depending on your target reader base, you’ll choose between a serious newsworthy blog or a quirky how-to blog.
After choosing the adequate blog type, you’ll have to start brainstorming some ideas for articles. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but don’t worry – if you follow the steps that we have outlined for you, you’ll have publishable content in no time. Just remember to use small sentences, a relaxed tone, and fun examples!
Before writing your second blog, you might want to read How to Repurpose Your Blog Content.
At Content Jungle, we’ll take care of the blog for your business from A to Z: the research, optimization, writing, and uploading. Feel free to send us an email via carolina@gocontentjungle.com or book a free coffee chat to discuss your content strategy.
