With new content being created and shared constantly, it’s more important than ever to take the extra time to make yours stand out. People are bombarded with information, so it’s up to you to create content that not only fits their needs, but is something they want to share with their peers.
Specific topics
You offer a specific service, so you should be targeting your content to the consumer for that service. It’s okay if what you’re talking about doesn’t apply to everyone- in fact, it shouldn’t! People are more likely to share content that is relevant to them, and defines them as a person. Find a topic you want to write about and narrow it down. Want to write about social media? Great! What about it? Tools? Tricks of the trade? Mistakes people are making? The list is endless! Vague topics result in boring content than anyone can create. Focus your subject and stand out.
Strong Headline
Half the battle is getting people to click the link and start reading. No matter how great your content is, if your headline is weak or vague, people are going to scroll right on by without giving your blog a second look.
How do you make a headline stand out? People are looking for you to provide an answer for something, so do just that. Titles with phrases like, “How to,” and “reasons why” usually get more clicks because people want to quickly scan through and find what they’re looking for. HubSpot recommends keeping the title less than 70 characters so they aren’t cut off when they’re shared.
Have a voice
No one’s going to read your blogs if it sounds like a textbook. Readers are looking to be entertained while informed. The internet is a casual place, so your tone should be casual. Whether your tone is sassy, sarcastic, or blunt, it doesn’t matter. It’s your content and it should sound like you. This isn’t your 5-paragraph essay from high school; you can (and should) use the first person. Just be sure that your tone doesn’t overpower the content.
Break it Up
Nothing is more intimidating than a huge block of text. That’s fine for reading something in print, but on a screen? No, thank you. Break your content up into sections and label them. Use bullet points or numbered lists to help people find what they’re looking for easier. To make your content more visually appealing, you can include photos, videos, or even tweets. Whatever’s appropriate for your blog. Content that contains photos and videos are also more likely to be shared.
Engage your reader
As you’re wrapping up post, make sure you ask a question and engage with the reader. Encourage the reader to leave their response in the comment section (if you have one). By providing a prompt, you’re increasing the chances that they’ll take the time to respond, whether it’s answering your question, offering a different opinion or (hopefully) complimenting your post.
Make it easy
No matter what you write or share, if the reader can’t share it with just a couple of clicks, they won’t. Make sure your reader has the ability to share the content right from the page to their social media platforms. Most blogging services have the ability to download icons for easy integration.
PROOFREAD
You see the all caps? That’s because this is SO important. Nothing will make a reader discredit you faster than a typo or grammatical error. The easiest way to avoid this is to type up your blog in a text editor, run spell check, and then read it over yourself. If you have the time, step away from it for a little bit and work on something else. Then, come back and read it over again, and do spell check again… just be safe.
It can be difficult creating great web content; but the more you do it, the easier it gets. These are general guidelines, but you’ll quickly learn what works for your content based on your audience. What are you doing to make your content readable and shareable? (See what I did there?)
If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry! NEXTFLY can help! Give us a shout and let’s talk about your blogging needs!