I work with a lot of business owners, helping them understand how a blog fits into their marketing strategy. And invariably the topic always turns to what makes a blog post “perfect”. While there is no such thing as a “perfect” blog post, I have found some things that have worked well in the past and continue to work well year after year. These are the things I have put into my own blog post template that I use for my clients and myself. I’ve used this for developing thousands of posts over the years.
My blog post template includes:
Compelling Title
If your title doesn’t capture attention, nothing else matters. Your title has to be attractive sitting on your blog, and as its transferred into the social media world. It has to capture attention with Google, as well as with your target audience.
Keyword Focus
This is where most small business owners either get carried away, or lose the concept altogether. Lets say you have a blog about tennis. Some business owners might create post after post using the word “tennis” while the next never uses it all, choosing to put “testimonial” or far-reaching concepts instead. While I’m not an advocate of using your keyword over and over again, you do need to have focus. And the more succinct you can make your focus of the post, the better it will be. There are dozens of ways to look at every topic, you just have to figure out how to approach it.
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250 to 750 Words of Content
People don’t like to read forever; in the online world, three to five minutes is perfect. People want quick, to the point information they can take in and use immediately. Too detailed will lose them. Not enough and they will back out and leave. Keep in mind the 250 to 750 is a general rule, depending on your focus and your audience.
Relevant Image
Break up that content with a great looking photograph. Not only does it help bring a reader into focus, it can also add into the SEO side of things. Photos are also more important than ever as people share your content on social sites, because lets face it, photos sell. Study after study shows that photos get more traction in the online world. So use them.
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Make Them Think
I incorporate questions throughout my posts all the time. Sometimes I start with a question, sometimes I end with one. Sometimes I choose to use it to teach a concept in the middle. By asking questions, you bring your audience into your world, and make them commit deeper to what you have to say. Use them, you’ll see a difference.
Write Like You Talk
Have you ever gone to a stuffy, highly educated site that uses THEBIGGESTWORDSINTHEWORLD? Boring, right? Nobody talks like they’re a bunch of PhDs at a party, unless maybe they are. Hmmm. But in any case, most people that choose to read what you have to say don’t want to think like they need a PhD. So make your post paragraphs short. Use lots of white space. Make lists. Use simple words. Write at an 8th grade level. Be conversational. Have Fun!
While my blog post template might be different than yours, the key is in having one. If you understand what your posts are for, and know what your readers truly want, it makes the writing process that much easier.