5 Blogging Hacks: A Cheat Sheet For Creating A Blog Post

Are you worried that your blog posts aren’t captivating your audience? Are your readers bouncing off your site because your content doesn’t resonate with them?

Do you want to write blog posts that get more comments, more social shares and more engagement?

Here are five ways to help you write an incredible blog post.

1) Know Your Audience

If you don’t understand your readers, they won’t want to stick around, come back or tell anyone else about your blog

Empathy is the most powerful tool you have as a blogger because it connects you to your audience emotionally. You create that empathy with your readers – it’s the emotional connection that gets them to think “She gets me. She knows what I’m thinking and feeling.”

Just put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Ask questions like:

• What are their problems, frustrations and challenges?
• What does a typical day look like in their world?
• What do they hope to gain by reading your blog?

You can find out these answers by:

• Sending out a short survey to your list
• Reading other blogs comments
• Reading forum posts in your niche

Then the key is to take one of the problems or desires that your readers have and incorporate it into your blog post.

2) Start with an attention-grabbing headline

You need to grab your audience’s attention by writing a catchy headline. One of my favorite bloggers, Jeff Goins, has a formula for headlines.

Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Promise

For example, “13 Facts About Blogging That Everyone Thinks Are True”.

Follow the formula and then analyze your headline with CoSchedule’s great new tool. It will show you the overall quality of your headline and even tells you how it will rate in social shares and SEO value.

3) Write an intro that packs a punch

Want to know some of the best ways to start a blog post that grabs your readers’ attention?

• Arouse curiosity by asking a question
• Surprise your audience with an unusual fact
• Share a story
• Start with a quote

Glen Long of Jon Morrow’s Boost Blog Traffic asks a question (and even cursed a little) in this intro but it definitely draws you in and makes you want to read the post.

4) Speak directly to the reader and get personal

Telling a personal story on your blog lets your readers in on your hopes, dreams and even your disappointments. Stories are conversational and triggers the imagination and the emotions of your readers.

Your blog post should educate, engage and entertain. Ash Ambirge of The Middle Finger Project is a prime example of info-tainment in action. She has a bold disclaimer on her website that her blog is not for “humorless bores” and she is proud giving her “snarky business advice”.

5) Insert a “Call To Action” at the end

The end of your post is what keeps your readers coming back for more. You need to end your post with a powerful close.

• Encourage your readers to take action
• Ask a question to get comments
• Link to another post
• Ask them to share your post
• Sum up your key points

These CTAs provide your reader with some short, snappy reminders of what they’ve read.

Jeni Elliott, at The Blog Maven, is great at conclusions that usually include an actionable tip and a question to encourage comments.

So, what do you think? What’s your most effective technique to get your readers to devour your blog posts?

Guest post. Sue Anne Dunlevie, owner of Successful Blogging has been passionate about business since she was 12 and started her own toddler day care group at her swim club. Now her unique talent lies in helping bloggers make more money with their blog.