Blogging is a fantastic creative outlet – a way to express yourself and to share your thoughts and insights with the world, while also building up your search engine visibility.
You may be thinking “with so many blogs out there, how do I make mine stand out?”.
The key to a great blog lies in its core elements (like the ingredients of a cake). Whether you’re a seasoned blogger or just getting started, these three must-have elements will help you to craft posts that are engaging, value-packed and relevant to your audience (a magnetic mix).
1. A compelling headline
Your headline is the first thing your reader will see, and it needs to be interesting and concise. Think of it as a hook to connect with your reader and cultivate curiosity to read more.
This doesn’t mean being ‘click-baity’ (so technical, I know). But in all seriousness, there’s nothing more frustrating than clicking through on a headline only to be disappointed by the article inside. Your headline can be interesting and inspire curiosity whilst still being true to the content of the post.
A headline that’s too long or vague will likely be ignored by busy browsers, so aim for something that is short, punchy, and accurately reflects the content of your post.
2. Engaging content that gives value to your community
Once your reader has clicked through to read your post, it’s time to deliver on the promise your headline made.
Your content should be engaging, informative and relevant to your audience.
Search engines also want to see original content, with quality references or sources. Repetitive content that’s just published as filler will not get as much SEO juice as those thoughtful and accurate pieces.
You can also anecdotes, examples and humour to bring your ideas to life. Remember to keep your sentences short and to the point, and break up your content with subheadings – this will help skim readers too!
If you want to check the readability grade of your post, simply copy your draft into the Hemingway app, and it will rate your draft and provide ideas for how to simplify it.
3. A strong call to action (CTA)
What’s the purpose behind your blog? Is it to start a conversation with your reader? Or to ask people to join your newsletter? Maybe you’re sharing a link to another helpful resource like your Lead Magnet?
Whether you want your reader to comment on your post, share it on social media, sign up to your newsletter, or buy a product or service for you, a clear and benefit-led CTA will help.
Make sure your CTA is placed clearly at the end of your post and that it’s easy to understand. Only ask for one next step, for example: Sign up to the newsletter for X, Y, Z.
Okay, that’s my three top must-haves for a magnetic blog post. If you’re excited to get your blog out there in the world, just check you’ve got a compelling (and true) headline, that the content is engaging and offers relevant value to your community, and end with a strong and clear call to action.
Ready to get creative? What would your audience love to hear about from you?
Time to get creative. Have fun with it!
Happy blogging 🙂
Want to write SEO and human-friendly blog posts with more ease? The Blog Magic Workbook includes my entire process for writing blog posts that can be understood by search engines, and get your community clicking and reading.
Find all the blog-boosting details here.
