Proven Formula to Write a Reader-Friendly Blog Post
Is there a ready formula for writers to create and publish a reader-friendly blog post? Absolutely!
As with most all things that work, you need to have a formula or structure to a plan in order for it to be successful. Of course all this is well and good however what is the secret to a good reader-friendly blog? Let’s take a look, shall we…
Whether you are writing for fun, as a hobby or in most cases…you are using your blog as a vehicle to get business, starting with this simple formula for a reader-friendly blog post will at the very least give you some guidelines for your blog and at the very most, get you a sustainable reader base that will come back time and time again to read your posts!
Understand your readers
I will always encourage anyone interested in starting to blog to first go out and look at a few successful blog sites. How do you find a blog site? Um, you might try a few places that have a thing or two to say about success…Facebook and Google! Virtually anytime I need an answer about anything, I will “Google it”.
Very likely the first page on Google for anything you search for will be littered with blogs that have been written about the very subject in question! Facebook is also a dynamite network where many bloggers will syndicate their posts for a larger audience experience!
Once you find a few blogs that you like, start looking for a pattern or formula to their blog posts. See how their readers are responding to the articles. Understand the look and feel of your post have as much to do with the blog as the blog itself.
After you’ve done some research, consider looking at the blog from your perspective as a writer. Can you see yourself writing that article? How would you make that your own? I’m not talking about stealing that article…I’m talking about designing your formula for a reader-friendly blog post on your own site!
Craft a great headline
Next, consider the reason you came to that blog in the first place…THE HEADLINE!
Remember back in the day when they used to make Newspapers? What was the reason why your read the story? It was the Headline! The most important part of your blog is to follow the formula for a good headline:
1. Are you asking a question?
2. Are you giving the reader a reason to want more…invoking their curiosity?
3. Are you able to offer an answer to why they are on your blog?
And all 3 of these are enhanced by one simple rule…try to offer your headline with a lure. A few examples would be:
- Top 5 reasons why…
- Uncover the 3 secrets of…
- Learn the 10 basic mistake to avoid when…
Utilising a powerful headline with a lure is certainly a great beginning to understanding the formula for a reader-friendly blog post!
Setting the hook
To steal a fishing analogy, once you have the lure, you need to set the hook! The idea here is to engage the reader and to offer a solution to their problem. This is best accomplished by getting the reader to their pain…
Asking (hooking) the reader, “Has this ever happened to you?” or “Are you as frustrated about ______ as I am…”
Then you simply finish this with the obligatory…”Well, do I have the solution for you..” or “Here’s how to make your frustration go away…”
Now that you lured the reader in and set the hook, time to reel them in
Wrapping all this into a pretty package, the formula for a reader-friendly blog post really breaks down to 3 simple things:
1. Get them to their pain (Lure) – Explain the problem and set it in the form of a question.
2. Get them to Discovery (Hook) – Offer your answer…this the part where you blog (nudge, nudge…wink, wink)
3. Get them to their Goal (Reel) – Help the reader implement your solution to their problem. This is best served as a Call-to-Action such as, “If this was helpful…” or “Like you, the best folks out there are doing this…” And of course, it’s always a good idea to ask for comments or give a ‘key take away’ to really close your post!
Format is key
A couple of other key points to a good, reader-friendly blog post are:
Add larger fonts throughout your post…Header 1, Header 2, Header 3 (H1, H2, H3) and bold
Add at least 1 photo or video (and choose a good one!)
Add backlinks
Use a ‘quoteblock’ every once in a while
Summary: reader-friendly blog post
Follow your own formula for a reader-friendly blog post. Of course, this is my opinion and certainly your blog will be whatever you make it!
However, always try as hard as you can to follow these simple steps and you should be at a level fairly quickly to where writing a reader-friendly post is not a task or a waste of time…but a pleasure and soon, a necessity to getting business!
