The “in” thing is that everyone should blog. There are so many questions that need answering. One of the them I get is, ” I’m not a good writer. What do I say?”
Well…good, engaging blog posts are a mix of storytelling and visuals. There are five key ingredients comprising readable content:
- Headline: Grab the reader’s attention, as well as the search engine’s. Keep the word count low and make the subject matter clear.
- Story: Have a beginning, middle, and end – which are the classic storytelling elements. This goes for posts that are about something (storytelling) or about a product (when you’re telling its story).
- Visuals: These also grab attention and will interest the audience in the subject of the post. Visuals are digested faster than words. A catchy photo or illustration will keep them reading.When shared on social networks, they help the content stand out and can help a post go viral.
- Flexibility: Content must work on all devices, meaning the platform is responsive. “Downtime” is a great time for your content to be read. Commuting time is optimal reading time. Readers use their smartphones to consume content when traveling, and any time during the day when they have time to use their phones.
- Sharing: People share more than 5.5 million gigabytes (that’s a lot) of content each day. Make it easy for them to share. Reduce clicks by having share buttons at the bottom of each post.
If you’re new to blogging, hopefully these five tips will get you started. If you have questions or need a little more help, just contact us. We’re here to help “make you more visible.”
Content marketers can take cues from the practices of professional journalists when writing their content.