How to Write a Blog Post That Informs, Engages and Converts
Blogging can be an incredibly effective way to attract an audience, build your brand, and ultimately drive sales and conversions. But writing a blog post that achieves those goals is far from easy. You can‘t just throw some words on a page and expect great results.
Luckily, by following a few proven tactics and best practices, you can hugely increase your chances of success. Here‘s how to write blog posts that captivate readers and compel them to take action.
- Choose the Right Topic
The first step is picking a topic for your blog post that your target audience will be interested in. You want to focus on subjects that are relevant to your brand or business while also considering what keywords and phrases people are searching for.
Rather than just guessing, do keyword research to find out the exact terms and topics your potential customers are looking for information on. Use tools like Google‘s Keyword Planner, SEMRush, Ahrefs or Moz Keyword Explorer to find keyword ideas and see estimated search volume.
Choose a primary keyword to focus your post on, but also consider related secondary keywords you can weave in. In general, aim for keywords with decent search volume but lower competition so you have a better chance of ranking.
Apart from search considerations, think about where your audience is at in the buying cycle. Are they just starting to research a problem, evaluating potential solutions, or ready to make a purchase decision? The type of content you create should align with their stage in the customer journey.
- Craft a Compelling Headline
With a topic in mind, it‘s time to write your headline. This is one of the most important parts of your blog post. Why? Because the headline is the first (and sometimes only) thing people will see. Your headline has to grab attention, spark curiosity, and make people want to click through and keep reading.
Some proven headline techniques include:
- Positioning your post as a guide, list, or how-to (e.g. "How to " or "X Tips for ")
- Using numbers, especially odd numbers (e.g. "7 Ways to ____")
- Asking a question
- Making a bold statement or claim
- Leveraging emotion words and adjectives
Also make sure to include your primary keyword in the headline, ideally towards the beginning. But avoid keyword stuffing – keep it natural and write for humans, not search engines.
- Hook Readers With Your Intro
You headline got people to click – now your introduction needs to hook them and convince them to stick around. Readers make a snap judgement about whether to keep reading based on the first few sentences.
Avoid a bland, generic introduction at all costs. Instead, aim to immediately engage the reader, whether through an intriguing question, a shocking statistic, a relevant anecdote, or a teaser of what‘s to come.
This is also a good place to lay out the purpose of your post and explain exactly what the reader will get out of it. What problem will you help them solve? What benefits can they expect? Give them a reason to care and keep reading.
Use short, punchy sentences and paragraphs to make your intro easy to consume and draw the reader in. You can expand on things later in the post.
- Organize Your Content For Readability
One of the best ways to keep people engaged with your blog post is by making it easily scannable and digestible. In the online world, most people skim and scan rather than reading word-for-word. So structure and format your post in a way that enables that.
Write short paragraphs, typically no more than 3-4 sentences. Break up long blocks of text with subheadings that summarize key points. Using subheads like H2 and H3 tags not only improves readability but also helps with SEO.
Organize your information in a logical way, whether that‘s chronological, topical, or in order of importance. Using numbered lists or bullet points is another great way to break up your content into easily consumable bites.
Visuals like images, infographics, and videos are also hugely beneficial. They help illustrate your points, break up walls of text, and cater to different learning preferences. Visual content is also highly shareable on social media.
- Focus on Engagement, Not Just Information
The best blog posts don‘t just inform – they engage. Adding a dose of personality and even humor, asking questions, and encouraging discussion transforms a post from a one-way lecture to an interactive conversation.
Use a conversational, relatable tone as if you‘re talking to a friend rather than lecturing. Write in the first person and use "you" and "your" to speak directly to the reader. Inject your unique personality and let your passion for the topic shine through.
Stories and analogies are another powerful tool. They draw the reader in, evoke emotion, and help them relate to the subject matter. If you can weave a narrative throughout your post, you‘ll keep readers hooked till the end.
Also look for opportunities to encourage engagement and discussion:
- Ask for readers‘ thoughts or experiences in the comments
- Invite them to respond to a question or take a poll
- Encourage them to share the post if they found it valuable
Building that relationship and interaction with your audience is key to turning one-off readers into loyal fans and customers.
- Incorporate Social Proof
Establishing trust and credibility is essential if you want your blog posts to inspire action and drive conversions. Readers need to see you as a reliable authority on your topic before they‘ll consider doing business with you.
One of the most effective trust-building strategies is social proof. Seeing that others have had a positive experience makes people far more likely to convert themselves.
Look for opportunities to naturally incorporate things like:
- Testimonials from happy customers or clients
- User reviews and star ratings
- Trust badges (e.g. Better Business Bureau, industry associations)
- Endorsements from thought leaders or influencers in your space
- Logos of well-known brands you‘ve worked with
- Data points on your customer/user base size
These trust signals ease people‘s minds and make them more receptive to your CTAs.
- Drive Action With CTAs
The ultimate goal of a blog post is to get the reader to take a desired action, whether that‘s joining your email list, downloading a resource, buying a product, or simply reading more of your content. After engaging them with your post, you need to give a clear directive for what to do next.
That‘s where a call-to-action (CTA) comes in. A CTA is a specific prompt guiding the reader towards your desired outcome. It removes any confusion about next steps and inspires immediate action. CTAs can take many forms, like:
- Text-based CTAs within paragraphs (e.g. "Click here to ____")
- Standalone CTA buttons
- Signup forms or opt-in boxes
- Clickable images/graphics
- Exit intent pop-ups before a reader leaves the page
Make sure your CTAs stand out visually and use action-oriented language like "Get," "Download," "Join," or "Buy." Also reduce friction by emphasizing how quick and easy it is for readers to take that next step.
For best results, include multiple CTAs throughout your post, with at least one above the fold that‘s visible without scrolling. Test different placement, wording and colors to optimize conversions.
- Optimize for Search Engines
For your blog posts to achieve maximum impact, they need to be discoverable in search engines. On-page SEO is crucial for driving targeted organic traffic to your content.
Apart from incorporating keywords in your headline, weave your primary and related keywords throughout your H1, H2 and H3 subheadings as well as in the body content. But avoid overusing keywords to the point that it sounds unnatural.
Other on-page SEO best practices include:
- Optimizing your URL slug and meta description
- Writing descriptive, keyword-rich alt text for images
- Linking internally to other relevant content on your site
- Including external links to high-authority websites
- Ensuring your post loads quickly and is mobile-friendly
While search engines are getting smarter at understanding context, following these basic SEO principles will help your content rank higher and reach a larger audience.
- Edit and Proofread Before Publishing
With the bulk of your writing complete, it‘s time for the crucial final step before hitting publish: editing and proofreading. Careful review can make the difference between a good blog post and a great one.
First, read back through your entire post for overall flow and cohesion. Does the structure make sense? Do the transitions work? Are there any parts that feel clunky, repetitive or off-topic? Don‘t be afraid to rearrange, tighten up or cut sections as needed.
Next, go through and copyedit, checking for any spelling, grammar or punctuation errors. Reading the post out loud can help you catch awkward phrasing. Tools like Grammarly are also helpful for identifying mistakes or improvement opportunities.
Finally, put yourself in your target reader‘s shoes and evaluate the post from their perspective. Is anything confusing that could use more explanation? Do you deliver on the promise you made in the headline and intro?
Ideally, set your post aside for a day and come back to it with fresh eyes for editing. Asking a colleague or friend to provide feedback is also valuable for objectivity.
- Promote Your Post
Congratulations – you‘ve published a phenomenal blog post! But your work isn‘t over. Now it‘s time to actively promote your post and drive traffic to it. The more people that see your content, the more impact it will have.
Share a link to your new post across your social media channels. But go beyond just posting the link – pull out interesting quotes or takeaways that will encourage people to click through. Create eye-catching graphics to accompany your social posts.
Email your blog post out to your subscriber list. They‘re already fans of your content, so a new post is the perfect reason to reach out and stay top of mind.
Consider reaching out to influencers or thought leaders mentioned in your post and letting them know. They‘ll often share content they‘re featured in with their own audiences.
Also look for opportunities to link to your blog post in your other content, like ebooks, webinars, guest posts, or email signatures. You can also revisit older blog posts and add internal links to your new post where relevant.
Paid promotion on social media or search is another option to give your post a traffic boost, particularly in the early stages after publishing.
Conclusion
Writing a truly impactful, engaging blog post that drives real business results isn‘t easy. But by following the process and best practices covered here, you‘ll be well on your way to creating content that wows your audience and achieves your goals.
Remember, focus on topics that align with your audience‘s interests and needs. Hook them from the get-go with a strong headline and intro. Organize your content for readability and engagement. Incorporate social proof to build trust. Guide readers to take action with clear CTAs. Optimize for search engines. Polish your post with editing. And actively promote it to maximize reach.
Now go put this advice into practice. Experiment, measure your results, and keep refining your approach. Over time, you‘ll be cranking out incredible blog posts that get noticed and get results.
