How to Write a Blog Post (That People Will Actually Read)

A blog post is a piece of written content that often takes the form of an article or essay. A blog is, essentially, a website where any user can create and share their thoughts on any subject, anywhere from parenting to politics to gardening.

Obviously, as you can imagine from such a broad scope of topics, there are many different ways in which one person might go about writing a blog post that people will actually read.

In a successful blog post, you need to write in a way that will encourage people to take action. Whether that action is to comment, share, or even buy what you’re selling.

But how do you make sure followers are more likely to follow through?

As a business owner, blogger, or just someone who wants more people to read their content, here are some tips and best practices for writing a blog post that people will actually read. 

Create a solid foundation

A blog post starts with a solid foundation, which is essentially what you’re trying to achieve with your content, overall. Your goal is to make an impression on potential customers and encourage them to take action by reading the full post and sharing it.

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

The best way to ensure that this takes place is by creating valuable content in the first place. So how do you create valuable content for someone who might not know you? Ask yourself these three questions:

What type of value does this post offer? Is it practical information (i.e., how-to’s) or entertainment value? Or maybe some sort of emotional value (i.e. personal stories or inspirational quotes)? What are you trying to share?

There are a lot of different things you can write about, and it’s important to think about how you want people to react after reading your post. If your goal is to sell something, for the sake of this article let’s say you want people to click on a link that takes them straight through to your blog post page. Then think about how you’re going to get them there. Be creative! Is it an enticing headline, is it a great photo that draws the reader in, or maybe it has some relevant quotes from other relevant authors?

If your goal is simply just for people to read through the content without taking any action (i.e. for the sake of building brand awareness or getting more followers on social media), then think about why you’d want them to read your content. Is there something special about what you have to offer? What’s the benefit for someone who reads your content?

Think about who your audience is, and what they can gain from what you have to say. 2. Pick great titles

Your title is your first impression. If you don’t catch a person’s attention with an interesting title, then it doesn’t matter how great your content is because they won’t bother reading it at all.

But how do you get your readers to read more? Use keywords in the title of your post. For example, if your blog is about parenting, try to include terms related to this topic in the title. This will help people associate what you’re writing about with the subject. If something gets linked from Reddit’s front page, for example, this is a good indication that it’s probably well-researched and merits further attention.

If you’re writing about a topic that people are already aware of, you can still consider adding keywords to your article title by including keywords such as “best,” “top,” etc. For example, if you’re writing about the “best way to make hard-boiled eggs,” use words like “how-to” in the title. Take advantage of popular search terms that people might be using when they’re looking for answers to questions regarding your topic.

If you can’t think of any good titles, check out a site called Quora, which has a list of questions people ask most frequently. You can find some great titles by searching for keywords related to your content and answering them with a post on your blog. Write content that’s engaging

People are busy! The days of sitting down and reading through an article from start to finish are long gone (at least for the majority of us).