If you want your blog to succeed, then you need to create awesome and engaging blog posts.
How do you do that?
The good news is that you don’t need a degree in writing to write blog posts like a pro, but there are some basics you’ll want to know before you jump in.
**This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may make a commission, at absolutely no cost to you, if purchase using my link**
1. Write what you know
A lot of people say, “Write what you know,” and that’s because blog writing requires a lot of content generation (aka writing blog posts).
If you already have a lot of expertise on a topic, then you’ll probably have a lot of great content ideas right from the start.
If you are starting a blog for an existing business, you can use the information you already have about your customers to get content ideas. For example: Do you get asked the same question over and over? Is there a lot of buzz about a new product you have?
As you build engagement, you will also get other ideas about what your readers want to read. You can also use the CTA (call to action) at the end of your blog posts to ask what they want to read.
2. Write like You Talk
Even if you are running a company about rocket science, it’s essential to keep your posts easy to read. Don’t use complicated language or words that require a dictionary.
A fast way to lose a reader is by making your blog posts hard to follow. The key to writing like you talk is to read your posts out loud before publishing them.
3. Use Short Paragraphs and Headings
When you get to a site with enormous paragraphs, how quickly do you end up closing the tab? Formatting is essential. Use short paragraphs and break them up using headings to keep the content easily digestible.
You may have paragraphs that are only one sentence, it’s not uncommon.
By breaking up paragraphs and key points, you enable readers to consume the content faster, so they are more likely to make it to the end of your post.
4. Edit
Stephen King once said, “To write is human, to edit is divine.”
Even though you are not writing a book, editing is essential. Grammatical errors distract people from your post, and you lose credibility. The last thing you want is for a reader to get stuck on a misspelled or missing word.
You don’t need to be an English teacher to edit well. There are amazing tools available that you can use to help you quickly edit.
Grammarly is very popular and super easy to use. There are even Grammarly plug-ins you can download to edit while you write in word docs and emails.
5. Add a Picture
How many times have you heard, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”… but then you did anyway?
The fact is a lot of people do judge books by their cover #Marketing.
Media draws people in. You should add at least one image to every blog post. You don’t need to have your own pictures, there are many stock images you can get for free from your host site, as well as other sites including Unsplash.
For a small fee, you can get access to a larger amount of high-quality images and edit them using sites like Canva.
6. Practice Makes Perfect
As with anything, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. Don’t wait to have thousands of daily clicks to publish your best content.
Write daily, whether it’s a blog post, a social media post, or following a daily writing prompt.
When you write more, the quality of your writing will increase, you will be able to type faster, and you’ll be able to refine your writing habits.
7. Read Other People’s Content
If you want to write blog posts like a pro, then you should learn from a pro by reading other great posts.
You can learn a lot from other people’s content. Notice how the posts are written, how they draw you in, how the format impacts the flow, etc. You may find writing styles you like and don’t like. You’ll also generate new ideas for blog posts faster.
8. Have a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Blog posts are meant to inform and engage. They can be an insanely valuable tool when it comes to generating and converting leads (aka making money getting more sales).
One way to drive engagement through your blog is by having clear CTA. Getting your audience to subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on your socials, or buy a course should be done through your post CTA.
Adding it to the end of a compelling blog post that they are already reading is much easier than hoping they find it somewhere else on your site later.
9. Get to know SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is crucial, and the sooner you learn it the better. Writing your blog posts with SEO in mind will significantly impact how much traffic comes to your blog.
SEO helps customers find you online by getting your site ranked higher in search results when they use search engines, like Google, to look for products and services.
The key is knowing what keywords people type when they search. When you are writing, try to think of what words or phrases you would type to find a similar product. There are also plug-ins, like Yoast SEO, that can help with your SEO .
10. Consistency is key
You can write like a pro. Refining your skills and focusing on creating great consistent content that solves customer problems wins every time.
It takes time to build a following, but don’t give up! Put out at least one to two posts a week, every week. If the posts are adding value to your audience and customers, they will keep coming back.
For more tips on how to write blog posts like a pro or how to turn your side hustle into your dream job, follow my new account on Pinterest!
