by Gail Oliver, Marketing Consultant
Want to know how to write a blog post? Follow my easy tips below and you’ll be writing in no time.
Blog Post Length
First, you need know that there are three types of blog posts in terms of length:
- Regular Blog Post – 300+ words
- Micro Blog Post – less than 300 words
- Cornerstone Blog Post – over 2,500 words, as this is what is needed to have the post rank well in Google search.
Therefore, decide what length you want to write. If it is your first time out, I recommend a regular blog post.
If you want to just keep yourself in front of your readers/customers, then I suggest daily micro posts, which are sometimes even just a paragraph. Seth Godin writes a lot of micro blog posts.
If you want organic SEO traffic from the post, then it has to be a cornerstone post. Google will not put a blog post on the first page of search results if it is any less than 2,500 words. But cornerstone posts are more than just word-heavy. They also involve having internal links, external links and many other technical things you need to do the post. I don’t recommend for your first blog post as it takes time to master.
How to Write Your First Blog Post
So, what’s your blog about?
Let’s say it is about dogs. If you just want to write about something current, go to Google Trends, type in “dog” and see what searches come up as “rising” searches. I did this and saw the rising search “Can Dogs Eat Raw Chicken?”. Therefore, maybe a good blog post would be to write about all of the foods that dogs cannot have.
How to Write a Blog Post Fast
A suggestion I give to a lot of my clients who want to use blogging as a form of marketing, but they are not writers, is to simply post a roundup or curated list of either other people’s blog posts or interesting facts from their industry. I find when I do not have time to come up with something original, I will post a Marketing Roundup of 5 things I found interesting this week in terms of product trends or marketing tips or industry news.
Make Your Post Unique
Now you have to do your research. Likely, someone has written about this topic, so you need to add your own twist. So, maybe you give your list, date it the current year so readers know it is very current, and maybe you extend it to add things such as plants and flowers that dogs can’t eat. Then, maybe you also create a printable of the list that customers can download and print. Make sure the download has your blog identity on it!
Formatting Your Blog Post
The key with an engaging writing style is:
- Use headers for sections
- Use lots of point form
- Avoid using long paragraphs
- Include photos
- Include graphics for pinning and posting to social media
- Include informative links to other sites (make sure they open in a new window)
- Bold certain words
The truth is, people will likely skim your post. These tips are easy ways to make sure that the points that are the most important stand out to readers.
Internal Blog Links
A lot of blog themes will mention your past blog posts to readers at the bottom, but most blog writers know how important it is to simply link to those posts within a new post. For example, I am writing this post about Writing a Blog Post, but I might also might want to mention how writing a blog differs depends on what your business is and refer to Creative Blog Posts If You Offer Professional Services. By linking in another blog post of mine, that has to do with writing a blog post, greatly helps the Google SEO ranking, especially if it is a cornerstone post.
Use Your Thesaurus
When you know the topic of your blog post, determine your main keywords, and then make a list of synonyms. Google loves synonyms. For example, instead of repeating “writing” all the time, I could also use “authoring” “composing” “creating” throughout the post. Instead of just saying “blog post” I could also use “article” “content”.
You could also type your proposed blog post title into Google, and then at the bottom of the page you will see Google’s “Searches Related to”. If you can get a few of those search phrases into the context of the blog post, this will help your Google SEO ranking as well.
Get Blog Inspiration
Make a list of blogs you like, and then take note of what it is you like about their posts. Bring these features into your posts, whether it is how they sign off, the creativity of their topics or how they format their writing.
End with a Call to Action
Let’s be honest, you are not writing a blog post just for fun. You are likely writing a blog post to drive sales, whether you are selling a product or service. So end the blog post with a call to action. It can be as simple as simply asking new readers to follow your blog. Or it can be to check out a new product of yours or ask you a question about one of your services.
Proof Your Post
Most blog themes will have a spell check, but you also need to review for grammar and flow, and make sure all links work.
Publish Your Blog Post
Hitting “publish” is always scary, but if you see a typo you missed, you can quickly go back in, edit and resave the post before anyone notices!
Share Your Blog Post
This is the most important point. How do you share?
- Email to your followers (this can be automatic through WordPress or an app like Sumo)
- Post to Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
- Post to Facebook groups and group Pinterest boards.
- Post to blog sharing sites like BlogLovin‘ (be sure to follow my blog on BlogLovin’).
- Publish to sites like Reddit and Digg.
How Often to Post
When I first started blogging way back in 2012, it was a general assumption that you needed to post everyday. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. It is better to post a quality post once a week, or you could do the strategy of micro posts every day. But you will find that your audience might tire of always hearing from you. You don’t want them to forget you either, so right now try to stick with once a week.
Blog Post Audit
Every few months, take a look at your old blog posts and do an audit. You want to update any information that is now obsolete, improve upon graphics, check that all links are working, and reshare.
Turn Regular Posts Into Cornerstone Content
Remember how I said earlier that creating a cornerstone post is a lot of work? Well, a good strategy is to gradually create a cornerstone post by going back over your 300 word posts and expanding up them. Try to add another 300 words every week, and in no time it will be long enough to be a cornerstone post.
Another option would be to merge two or more blog posts together to create a cornerstone post. The posts can still function in their original form, but just merge them into a new one for a cornerstone post.
Need a Blog Post Template and Planner?
I hope this post has helped you discover how to write a blog post. If you need more help, as well as a detailed “Before You Publish Checklist” and “Blog Audit Checklist”, check out my Complete Blog Planner or my Blog Post Planner Worksheets.
© 2020 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How to Write a Blog Post.
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