Yes, we know it’s hard to believe, but blogging is still relevant in 2022. Besides, haven’t you ever read a blog post that’s just stuck with you? This is just every writer’s goal (not a big deal, right?). Wrong! With that in mind, it’s your job to make four specific elements compelling to a reader because that’s what will make your blog stand out and intrigue the reader. But what are those four elements? The eye-catching headline, magnetic introduction, valuable body, and mic drop conclusion. With that in mind, it’s your job to make all four of those elements compelling enough to keep a reader intrigued and valuable. And it all starts with a little guidance from your friends at Zero Gravity Marketing. Brace yourself for some effective startup blogging tips.
Table of Contents:
We know what you’re thinking: A table of contents – easy peasy. Statistically speaking, you have a reader’s attention for about 15 seconds before they jump. So in those 15 seconds, their fleeing could be due to your headline, uneasy navigation, or something else relative in that space.
As you’ve probably already seen, blogs have been getting longer, which means a table of contents is needed more than ever. It’s a simple way for readers to jump to a section of your blog that they’re most interested in reading or looking for. And hey, the longer a reader stays on your blog, the more credibility you gain.
Do your blog posts relate to your niche? What value are you offering to readers? It’s important to take a step back to hone in on what is valuable to them. Whether your niche is health and wellness, lifestyle, homeowners, etc., try to stick with it.
Changing up the relevancy of your blog posts can be misleading or confusing to a reader. And who will trust a source that posts unrelated blogs that are far-fetched from their niche?
Before you start writing content for your blog, you must keep pre-requisite steps in mind. Unless you’re an expert on the topic you’re writing, research and planning are essential. The first step is figuring out what your blog will be about – research popular blog topics related to your niche. Whether you’re taking notes from articles, competitor blogs, or creating an outline, these research and planning methods will make all the difference in the end.
Creating a resource hub with articles and related blogs to your writing topic is another great step. From here, you can take down notes on what you’ve read, or anything that stood out to you that you’d like to incorporate into your own blog. After researching the topic, you can form an outline of what you want your blog to cover. The rest is smooth sailing ahead.
Sometimes a quick punch line that is keyword rich will do the job. Use all of your creative freedom when curating an eye-catching headline. But be sure to make it relative to what the blog will be about. For instance, “Why My Website Isn’t Showing Up On Google” is a great example of something relative to Zero Gravity Marketing services, yet also comparable to what a reader may be looking for on the web. Also, make sure to consider keywords – they are your best friend when creating a headline for your blog.
Treat your introduction like it’s a 15-second pitch to your readers. Questions are a great way to start your blog or try thinking outside of the box by using humor or storytelling. There are many ways to cultivate an intriguing lead, but only so many succeed. The beginning of your blog is your one chance in providing an authentic appeal that will keep your reader, well, reading on – and that’s major.
A scannable blog is a blog well done. As much as we like to think every visitor is thoroughly going through our blog, the average reader does not read a blog word for word. So, ensuring your blog is scannable where readers can still obtain value, results in a successful blog.
Creating keyword-rich subheadings adds to the scannable aspect of your blog. Plus, it allows readers to jump to a specific section of the blog they’re most drawn or looking for answers to.
Did you know that 38% of bloggers say one of their biggest challenges is creating quality content consistently? This is by far the most important contributor to what makes a blog successful. Avoid writing unnecessary fluff to meet a specific word count or implementing long-tail keywords that just don’t sound right.
To build a successful blog, you need to curate content that your reader can easily digest, find beneficial, and feel is worthy of sharing.
When it comes to your first draft – even if it looks spectacular – keep in mind that it’s helpful to get a second or even third pair of eyes on it. Grammarly is a great tool for spelling and pointing out any grammatical errors you may have missed.
It may not feel necessary, but one small spelling mistake or misuse of the oxford comma can leave your blog looking questionable. And with this, your credibility will only plummet.
We all know that search engine optimization (SEO) plays a significant role in creating a successful blog. It’s a great way to add in any relevant links, keywords, and more, which search engines like Google take into account when ranking your blog.
There are many ways to improve your SEO, whether it be a strong meta title or description to reach the best word count or extensive keyword research added throughout your blog. All of these components – and more – contribute to a successful piece of content.
This is your time to summarize all key talking points into a closing call-to-action (CTA). Common CTAs are “Learn More” or “Contact Us.” While those are perfectly fine to use, you can differentiate yourself from competitors by adding a little more creativity.
Build your reader up, and then turn it all around. Storytelling is a great way to create your content into something more personable. For example, if you’re a tech company writing a blog about security issues arising or news updates, a way to turn that around, in the end, is simply by posing a question or concluding with a service you offer that relates to what you discussed in your blog.
CTAs are a great way to link somewhere on-site or off-site. For example, “Contact our strategists today to get started” can link to a contact page. Or, “Learn more about the importance of a content marketing and blogging strategy” can link to another related blog. A CTA should always align with what the reader is reading. It creates a simple path from reading the blog to the point of conversion.
Now that you know all of the important elements that make a blog successful, it’s time to put them into play. At Zero Gravity Marketing, our content team is always staying on top of new trends and industry-related news to create relevant and purposeful content.
We always go above and beyond with our clients’ content marketing strategy, resulting in high-quality SEO-optimized blogs and more. If you are looking for guidance in this realm or have any questions regarding content or blog strategy, we’d be happy to hear from you!