Blog posts are the easiest way to ensure your website has a regular flow of optimised and engaging content for visitors. As with any piece of written material, a blog may be better received when there is a solid structure and natural flow. Or in the words of my Grade 3 English teacher, Mrs. Taylor, an introduction, a middle and a conclusion. So what are those elements for a blog post?
Your headline has one goal and that is to grab attention and compel people to read on. Keep it short and punchy. Now my "How to Write a Blog Post" may not be the best example available but I'll let you in on a secret: this is because I did some keyword research and noticed that many of you, 90 500 a month in fact, were searching Google for this exact term. Meaning that there is clearly a need for the information. Those interested in "how to write a blog post" are going to find my title perfectly suited to their needs.
This would be that first little paragraph up there where I tried to grab your attention, enticing you to read further than the first 3 sentences. If you're reading this, then it worked!
A note on your opening: it's always a good idea to include an image that represents your topic and that will work together with your heading to grab attention and encourage potential readers to click through to your blog post. This is particularly important when you share your post on social media networks where thumbnails are shown.
Your sub heading is your opportunity to give readers another idea of what they are able to read about. This blog post is outlining the structure that a blog post ideally wants to follow and as such is my sub-heading. I may have dealt with another aspect of writing a blog post such as researching your topic for example, and the sub-heading would have been where I introduced that.
Right, so you've managed to keep your reader's interest with your engaging and informative content, now's the time to ask your reader to take action. Your call to action could be anything from subscribing to your blog to tweeting your post , downloading an eBook or signing up for a free trial of your product or service. Your offer will depend on your audiences stage in the buying cycle and what will best serve their needs.
There we have it - a simple little blog post about how to write a blog post. Blogging is an important element of the Content Marketing strategy and knowing how to structure your blog post is just the beginning.