It has been years since I have entered the marketing industry. Since then, I have read hundreds of bloggers’ communal advice on writing the best blog post. Most of the articles seem to be repetitive. Regardless of the industry, the same thing does not work for everyone.
No matter who wrote an article on this topic, there is no perfect answer. However, I am going to talk about what I have researched that has worked for me. Instead of going in the direction of how to write the most compelling topics, let us dive into the elements of quality blog post.
Word Count and Feedback
Let me begin with the length of articles. The amount of characters or words in a blog post is not going to ensure success of that content. Brian Solis and Seth Godin are two successful bloggers. However, their strategy is completely opposite of each other.
Brian Solis is an award-winning author, blogger and keynote speaker. His writing is usually lengthy and in-depth. Seth Godin is the founder of Squidoo.com, author, blogger and keynote speaker. His posts are usually short and compelling.
My point here is the length does not make or break the perfect blog post.
Next, I want to talk about feedback or comments. When writing, the goal in mind should not be focused on maximizing the number of comments. Most business blogs are trying to drive traffic, leads and customers. Comments are not always going to contribute towards these essential metrics.
I just laid out what is not important when writing the perfect blog post. Now, I am going to talk about what is essential.
Ideal Traits
When searching the Internet, we click through blogs posts all the time. The main reason we find these particular articles is that we are searching for an answer. The trait of that article is what is going to encourage readers to share. Include clear takeaways and actionable understandings that solve a problem.
Most importantly, the writing should always connect with the readers.
Relevance
Metaphors are not just for novelists. It should be an active portion of a blog post. By taking two seemingly different ideas and creating a correlation is a valuable way to combine relevance. This generates a more interesting and intense subject.
Urgency
As a part-time journalist, we are always focusing our articles on the five W’s (who, what, when, why and how). As a blogger, the answer to the “why” is not sufficient. Change the mentality to “why now?” We all know the Internet is full of content. However, the content that is pressing and timely wins the race.
Visually
Video and images are important, but do not clutter the blog post with them. Keep in mind there are other ways to make a post more appealing. Try adding bullets, headers, numbers and other text elements. This can make it simple for the reader to grasp the idea quickly.
Entertainment
An informative blog post does not mean it has to be boring. Search for a way to take some boring, mundane topic and twist it into something creative. This is where pictures and videos can play an important role too. Always try to think outside-of-the-box.
Clarity
When I am teaching a trainee, I explain to them the importance of being clear, direct and definitive. The word choices in emails and phone calls should be strong. However, it should not waver over their advice. This also applies to writing the best blog post – be the expert on the topic.
