Title

Your title is often the first thing a reader will see, even before they’ve clicked onto your website, so the three most important things that it needs to do are grab attention, inform the reader and spark curiosity. You need to tell your audience exactly what your blog is about and why they should be interested - only in one short phrase! Being as specific as possible is ideal, that way you avoid misleading your readers and reduce the chance of a high bounce rate too. Some headlines practically write themselves, such as ‘Top 10 Walks in Wensleydale’ but others may take more work! 

Introduction

For some people, writing the introduction is the hardest part. A lot of people struggle to a) know what level of information to give away, and b) know how to summarise the blog post before it’s written. A great strategy is to write the introduction last! It’s often easier to get into the juicy main body of a blog post where the most important content lies, and worry about the introduction at the end, once you’re certain on what’s been included. 

A useful formula to use if you’re struggling is PPB: Preview, Proof and Bridge. 

Preview - let people know exactly what to expect from your content, for example, ‘In this post I am going to talk you through my top tips for caring for silver jewellery.’

Proof - you need to show your audience evidence that you know your stuff and give them a reason to trust you, this could be due to ‘Personal Results’ or ‘Years of experience’. For example, ‘In my 25 years of experience in the accessories industry, the techniques in this blog are some of the best at helping you to keep your jewellery looking beautiful.’ 

Bridge - here’s where you need to transition into your main content, and direct your audience to continue reading. For example ‘Keep reading to find out more’ or ‘Let’s get started.’

Body

The body part of any blog post is where it varies the most and you have the most free rein when it comes to what to include and it will depend on the type of blog post you’re writing as to how your main body will look. For example, a List post or How To post will likely be made of numbered or bulleted subheadings with anything from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs expanding on each one, whereas a Case Study will follow a different structure perhaps detailing the process from beginning to end.

If you’re struggling to write your main body without a clear guide, try using the AIDA formula to ensure you captivate and convert your audience. It’s a useful way to create structure to your blog post, especially if you want the reader to take some form of action.

Attention -  You need to grab the reader's attention, whether with an interesting anecdote, shocking stat, or exciting update. In the beginning, you need to draw the reader in and allude to what’s coming next so as to spark curiosity and ensure they stick around to get the good stuff.

Interest - Here you need to keep the momentum going and relate the blog post to your audience. Try showing how what you’re talking about - whether a product, service or piece of advice - can help them, perhaps by explaining how this can solve their pain points (or by directly solving them in the blog piece!). It’s important to deliver in-depth details that will benefit the reader.

Desire - You need to create desire within the reader to take a next step, which all depends on your goal for the post. Show the reader exactly how your offerings can solve their problem and the benefits they’ll gain.

Action - Finally, you need to tell the reader what to do next, creating desire simply isn’t enough and readers need to be directed! Make the call to action clear and compelling. 

Conclusion

It may not seem it, but a conclusion is so important to a blog post as it helps to round things off and tie things up at the end. Try summing up your points and telling the reader the point of the article.

This is a super important place to add a simple call to action or a clear next step that guides the reader to do something - this could be to get in touch, or read another of your articles. If you’re not sure about what to include, think about the purpose of your post and why you’re sharing it - what do you want your readers to do in exchange for this piece of information? 

It’s best to only include one call to action, too - the more you have, it becomes less clear to the reader what you want them to do, and then less likely for them to take any action.

So, with these useful guides, formulas and tips, you’ll be well on your way to having written some well structured blog posts that get your readers hooked and converted! We know that we’ve made it sound super simple, but just by following these steps you’ve already got a clear and guided blog post in the making. In our next post, we’ll be sharing some tips on adding that extra flair and pizzaz to your blog post to keep your readers engaged. In the meantime, if you’d like our support with blog writing or anything in the realm of digital marketing, please do get in touch and our team will be happy to help!