11 Steps to Write Engaging Blog Posts & To Increase More Engagement And Clicks
You’ve started a blog. Yay! Now what do you actually do with it?
I have a blog. Wait, what? What did you think you were reading this blog post on? The newspaper? Yes, I have a blog. And it gets a decent amount of views. (Could be better, but hey, there’s always room for growth!) And sometimes, I don’t write any blog posts for a month.
How can I be a blogger (whether successful or not) and not write anything for a month? Well, it’s because I started relying on search engine optimization (SEO) and social media (i.e. Pinterest and Instagram for me) to drive traffic to my blog. A part of that is that I use engaging titles/headlines to do that.
When I read a blog post or article, I like to skim the first few paragraphs to make sure I want and need to read it. And the more skimm-able it is, the more likely that I’ll continue reading the blog post. That’s just me, but it may be the case for you, right?
This blog post is all about steps to writing engaging blog posts in order to increase more engagement and clicks for your blog or business. Because no one wants a boring blog post, right? In this blog post, I’ll give you steps to writing an engaging blog post that will not only increase more engagement but will improve your writing and show your personality through your blog posts.
I want to include this disclaimer that this blog post is for any niche blogger, aka food bloggers, fashion bloggers, business/entrepreneurship bloggers, Christian bloggers, book bloggers, etc. Whoever you are, whatever you blog about (or want to blog about), then this blog is for you because blog posts and articles have to be engaging, or you won’t have any readers coming back to your blog.
Remember your audience.
Who are you writing this specific blog post for? First and foremost, remember who you are writing this blog post for and keep that person in mind. What if someone is coming to your blog post for summer plus-size dresses to wear to a wedding? You don’t want to have an entire blog post filled with dresses that only go up to size small. Remember your audience.
Keep it short.
Be sure to keep your article skimm-able. When I’m reading through a blog post or article for valuable information that I may need, I am most likely skimming through it or reading the highlights. Keep it short. Break the points into smaller paragraphs. Try to use plain language—or language that is easy to read and what a beginner would understand.
Blogger tip: in your first draft of your blog post, write down everything you want to include. Just do a complete brain dump of everything you want to go over and include in your blog post. This is called your outline. Then, you can go back and edit it down for clarity and add links, photos, and other things you need to include.
Use images and graphics.
Whether you take photos for your blog or create cool, interesting graphics, make sure to include these images and graphics in your blog post. As a writer, this isn’t my most strong suit, but I always try to include at least one image in my blog post—and it’s at least one Pinterest graphic that anyone can pin and save for later. (Which helps with engagement and growing blog traffic!)
Use links.
This helps SEO more than anything, but it also helps your blog post more reader-friendly. When I see links in a blog post, I automatically assume the writer did their research. Use both internal and external links! Use links to old blog posts (to increase your own blog traffic) and link to outside sources like other blogs, articles, and resources. It boosts your credibility as someone who uses sources to back up your knowledge—and improves the SEO (search engine optimization), which then improves your Google ranking, which means your blog ranks higher in a Google search using a keyword you included in the blog post.
Keep it relevant.
And use solid takeaways. It’s your blog—you can write about anything. But make sure the content is relevant and timely to what is happening in the present. For example, if we’re in the summer season, don’t put together a round-up of sweaters to wear in the winter. Sure, it’s helpful to shop ahead of seasons, but readers aren’t going to click on a sweater post in the middle of the humid summer. You should also start working on content a couple of months ahead of time. So, while we’re sweating it out in humid August, that’s when you can start working on your round-up of sweaters blog post—and post it sometime in September to stay ahead of trends. This is also especially really good on Pinterest, which likes to show relevant content a month ahead of time.
Share your experiences.
But in keeping to the last point, keep it relevant. While I love to hear stories and personal experiences, if it doesn’t relate to the subject in your blog post, then it’s most likely just “filler content” and I will skip it. Share your experiences, but don’t share too much. This blog is about you! Share some of your personal experiences as it relates to the subject in the blog post.
Utilize headings and subheadings.
This is a perfect example of writing skimmable, easy to read articles and blog posts. When I look at an article or blog post or any piece of content, and it has no headings or subheadings, I immediately click out. Headings and subheadings make your content easier to read by telling the reader what they’re getting when they click on your content. Read this blog post … you notice there are sub-headings that detail each point that I’m trying to make. Doesn’t it look cool?
Spend more than a day writing (and editing).
You got your idea. You wrote everything in the blog post. You edited it down for clarity. Great! Now sit with it for a few days. Keep working at it. Sometimes, I post something without looking at something a few days later—in other words, I post it immediately. And I always have to go back and edit it down for clarity. Go through a few rounds of edits. However, don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good. Just sit with it for a few days and think about what you want to say in the post.
Write accurate information.
This goes without saying, but I guess I have to say it because there is “fake news” out there. Make sure your writing is accurate. Some things do expire and some things do become irrelevant. For example, you may be writing about social media and the best times to post. That stuff could change (and differ based on person or platform). Make sure your writing is accurate.
Share your personality.
Don’t forget to add your personality to the blog post! Many blog posts and articles I’ve read have all been just boring, to the point articles where the writer doesn’t showcase their personality. Make it fun, make it snappy, make it genuine. Why did I click on your blog post/article? If you’re writing about mid-size workwear fashion, I want to know why you’re promoting this product. This can be done in images/photos that you take of yourself, but also in your writing! Add little asides in parentheses that are funny and relevant (like this one to make it funny). Your blog is about YOU. Make it about you.
Check for spelling and grammar.
This may be obvious, but do a final spell check and grammar read-through on your blog post before you hit publish. I’ve read blog posts where there are several copy mistakes and it makes it harder to read or understand. I’ve had some slip-ups here and there and I’m nowhere near perfect. That’s why I use Grammarly. I have a Grammarly Chrome extension that automatically checks your document (Google Docs, WordPress, etc.) for any spelling or grammar errors.
Sure, you want to show your personality, but several spelling and grammar errors makes for a bad blog post and I’ll click out of your blog post quickly.
I hope this blog post helped you! Link your blog down below, I always love to find new and interesting blogs to read.