How to Start Writing a Blog Post to Capture Readers' Minds

Sometimes writing a blog post seems like rocket science. Think for yourself, monthly people publish over 70 million blog posts. So, what kind of invention do you need when it comes to writing a good blog post? How do you beat the competition?

We don’t say you need to be an Elon Musk in the world of content. But you definitely need to put in some effort. Another way, your article may become a spaceship that has never made it to open space.

How can you skyrocket your blog’s popularity then? The answer lies in the blog post itself.

Today we are going to share some working tips for writing an engaging blog post. Moreover, we enjoy using them on our own. Check four must-have components that will help your spaceship fly.

Contents

• Before writing a blog post
• Know your audience
• Start writing a blog post
• Write engaging headline
• Mind the word count
• Use formulas
• Employ editing and visuals
• Add call-to-action
• After writing
• Conclusion

Before writing a blog post

Before writing a blog post you need to have a place where to publish it. That leads us to three notions - domain name, hosting, and SSL certificate.

Mainly, you will have two scenarios.

1. First one. You already have a company site. Then you only need to create a page for your company’s blog and start writing.
2. Second one. You only start your company’s site or your blog. Then you’ll have to purchase a domain name (that equals your brand’s name or make out a catchy and recognizable name for a blog); find hosting, and upload an SSL certificate (to show Google you are a secure site).

Then, depending on your industry, choose the CMS. It may be an eCommerce platform or one for blogging. We advise joining 455 million WordPress users.

Why do we recommend WordPress?

First of all, you can pick a free theme. It’s actual for new businesses that don’t have huge budgets. Another immense benefit is the thousands of plugins you can download.

Those plugins will serve as Santa’s elves. This way, plugins easily convert a site into an eCommerce marketplace, enable payments, and so on.

But the key point is that there are dozens of plugins to help you with your writing! We’d like to highlight the next ones:

• YoastSEO
• WProofreader

What should you do if you are hosting on other platforms? Then don’t forget to use Grammarly to check the writing and Hemingway App for readability.

After you’ve finished with the preparations, let’s move to the tips for writing a blog post.

Know your audience

Without a doubt, you need to write about what you really enjoy. At the same time, you shouldn’t forget about your audience’s interests.

Anyway, how do you synchronize those two things together? Well, it’s always great to have a buyer persona to know what themes to cover and to what emotions to appeal.

Also, keep in mind, that different generations have different modus operandi.

No buyer persona? There are other techniques you can use. Take a step back and discover what’s going on in your industry.

Start gathering topics that are in high demand in your niche. How do you do this?

1. Use Q&A platforms. Quora might be the optimal suggestion. Choose topics that refer to your industry and see what people would like to know about.
2. Use Google suggestions and search-related results. Start typing your query in Google’s search box and see what further specifications it offers. Go to the bottom of the result page and check the related questions.
3. Use an advanced Twitter search. Type your request as usual and then, on your right, choose “Advanced search” to show the questions only.
4. Use special tools to track keywords. From Google’s Keyword Planner to services like Keyword Tool, employ these tools to find the most trending keywords for your niche.

After you gather all the opportunities, start working on the digital content plan.

Start writing a blog post

Write engaging headline

Let’s talk about how to start writing a blog post. Building a spaceship starts with technical drawing. Any article starts with the headline or title, in other words. So, now it's time to master a perfect title.

Did you know that 80% of online users read the headline in full? So, your first goal is to create a title that hooks them. But how do you ensure this?

• Questions - Perhaps, the How-to articles are the most popular ones. Yet, using What, Why, and Where in your heading is also a very effective tactic.
• Numbers - People tend to trust numbers more. So, if you provide a numbered list or incorporate some figure in your title you can expect more clicks on your article.
• Emotional words - Use powerful words to stand out your title among others. Add words that can trigger the readers and make them open and read your post.
• Negatives - Start with something that your readers shouldn’t do. Make them curious to check if they are making the mistakes you are talking about.
• SHINE - Build your headline based on the formula: specificity, helpfulness, immediacy, newsworthiness, entertainment.

Yet there is another thing you shouldn’t forget about. Use the target keyword in your headline. (Of course, it should also appear in the SEO description and at the very beginning of the blog post).

You might also like: Increase Your Blog Post CTR - the Do's and Don'ts

Let’s revise everything once again. Your keyword is the spaceship’s carcass and the tips we’ve offered are what makes a rocket look familiar.

Mind the word count

We may refer this step to the SEO content writing tips. Let’s see why.

Many of you know that long content performs better. We’ve explained why long articles work better in terms of blog promotion. But the post’s length influences not only human beings.

Accordingly, Google has hundreds of ranking factors. We can include the content’s length with them as well. This way, the longer your content is, the more chances it has to appear on the SERP’s top.

Anyway, don’t go too crazy. A well-written article that is ~2,000 words has all chances to be on the first result page. So, don’t push yourself to write 4,000 words if you can’t. Because that’s not the option.

Use formulas

We can spend hours talking about content writing tips. There are a variety of tactics you can use. Nevertheless, the end goal stays unchanged.

Your content should give value to readers. This way, your blog post should be:

• relevant
• unique
• helpful
• appealing

Time is money. And readers spend their time on your blog. Ensure it’s worth it.

You can create an engaging, useful, and informative post using special formulas. We are going to share two of them.

ASMR

No, it has nothing to do with those sound videos. Instead, an ASMR is:

• Annotations. It’s a generalization of how you edit your blog post. Add special elements like CTA banners, blockquotes, lists to make your text less monotonous.
• Short statements. Don’t flood your article with long sentences. They make reading much harder. Find long sentences or the ones with the transition words and cut them into two or three statements. Keep the paragraphs short as well.
• Multimedia. Complement your post with pictures, GIFs, or videos. Remember, it’s extra hard to perceive the text only. Especially if you have a 2k+ article.
• Re-read. Give your article rest and read it some more times again later. Polish it so that everything sounds smooth and logical.

A pro tip. When making out a paragraph, combine various sentences. For instance, write 1 long sentence (but less than 20 words) and two short ones.

PAS

It sounds like a “pass.” Except for one letter. Yet this formula can help you pass your exam in killer blog writing. Start your article with PAS to grab readers’ attention.

• Problem. Briefly describe the issue that has brought the reader to your blog post.
• Agitate. Show the main “pains” customers are most likely to experience.
• Solve. Give a sneak peek of how you are going to solve it.

Accordingly, you nurture readers’ interest with every abstract of your introduction.

A pro tip. Add a table of contents to clearly show how you will help and what information the reader will get.

Employ editing and visuals

We have briefly mentioned editing and visuals in previous abstracts. Remember that the article’s structure contributes to its success.

Imagine that you’ve composed your first blog post. And it is helpful and well-written. But no one will read it if the page displays only a long text. Plain text without formatting can scare people off. How can you change it?

To make your blog post more readable use:

• headings and subheadings
• bullet points
• numbered lists
• a combination of longer and shorter paragraphs
• blockquotes
• visuals (photos, infographics, GIFs, videos)

Visual content is extremely important. It helps to illustrate the main ideas, explain complex topics, and make your content more fun. Besides, people tend to remember more if the content is provided in the form of pictures or infographics.

These really easy practices can increase readers’ time-on-page. If your blog provides a great experience, readers may want to read more from you.

Add call-to-action

What aim do you have when you write your blog? Whatever it is, try to translate the clear message. That will convert in the call-to-action you choose to employ.

Would you like to get more shares? Encourage your readers to share your article on their social media via special buttons.

Do you offer some educational material? Ask your audience to leave comments about how helpful the article has been.

Do you inform the audience that your service/product can solve customers’ problems? Suggest them to try out your service or recommend another helpful article of yours.

Regardless of your goal, give your readers a clear idea of what they should do. Create a precise, appealing, and understandable CTA.

You can also check How to Write a Qualitative Article Faster with 7 Tips

After writing

Phew! Your blog post is ready. But you’ve got some post-writing job to do.

Never forget about proofreading. Send your article to your editorial team. If you don’t have one, prepare to edit yourself. Firstly, don’t proofread your blog post right after you’ve finished it. It’s better to come back to your article in one or two days.

That ensures you have that “fresh” sight and perceive the post for the reader’s part.

Also, don’t forget to distribute your post. Try to attract attention to the article and ask how people find it. That will help you take account of your mistakes and become a better writer. By the way, you can check how to distribute your content effectively.

Conclusion

Do you still think that blog posts’ writing is rocket science? In our article, we tried to show that understanding the post’s nature helps you compel a better copy.

Sure thing, many of us need inspiration and a proper theme. Yet with the tactics we’ve shared, you can ease your process.

You know how to create a catchy headline to encourage people to click on your article.

You know how to hook readers in the introduction and offer quality content within the article.

We hope that our blog writing tips were helpful for beginners and for experienced writers. Both have space to grow and master writing skills.

We love learning too! Share what blog writing approaches you enjoy. Do you employ some of the methods we’ve mentioned? Leave your comment below and let’s talk.