6 Elements of a Readable and Shareable Blog Post

It’s one thing to write a blog post and another to make it readable and shareable.

As everyone who has ever written a good blog post can attest… it’s not easy. There’s a lot that goes into a decent post in terms of content alone, but it goes beyond that. Attention spans are short and let’s face it, there’s a TON of content out there competing for eyeballs. Here are some tips for making your blog post more readable and shareable.

6 Tips That Can Help Your Blog Stand Out

ONE: It all starts with a compelling title

No surprise here, right? Almost always the title is what a reader will see first and if it doesn’t get noticed, it won’t get clicked on or read. Simple as that! Consider the following:

Try Lists. Title that contain numerical lists perform better. ‘5 Things You Must…” and “3 Ways to Overcome…” tend to be more appealing. Try it and see for yourself.
Create Urgency. In the examples above, words like Must and Overcome create a sense of urgency to the user that begs for a click. Other words that create urgency are now, fast, approaching, never, quick. You can also set a deadline depending on the subject of your blog.
Challenge the norm. If everyone is blogging about the same thing or confirming the same conclusion at some point early on people will stop clicking new content. Challenging the status quo can help drive engagement.

TWO: Break up content with subtitles or headings

One long block of copy, even if it’s broken up into paragraphs deters people from engagement. People like to skim first so by having content broken up with engaging subtitles or headings can help people understand the gist of a blog section prior to diving into it.

Breaking up your blog into sections helps draw the user down the page as well, helping to create an order to your post and laying out your content – much like an outline might.

THREE: Break up content with snippets

While subtitles and headings can help break up content and make it more digestible, so too can snippets. Here are some examples:

Block quotes in the content can help draw engagement. While quotes don’t work for all posts, if you’re curating content or referencing someone else’s thinking, it can help.
Use statistics and facts. When placed outside of regular text can draw the eye, but make sure it’s interesting and thought provoking.
Use bullets or numbered lists where it makes sense. Like subtitles, these lists can help the reader skim your content quickly to determine interest.

FOUR: Use relevant and supportive imagery and graphics

Words are great but people generally gravitate toward compelling images and graphics. Charts and infographics can help visually tell your story while the copy provides the supporting detail.

FIVE: Pay your blog off with a thought-provoking conclusion or offer

Some of the best conclusions I’ve seen in blog posts state the author’s final thoughts while asking a question. The question often gets me thinking about my thoughts on the subject matter and helps me draw my own conclusions, whether in agreement with the post or not. Afterall, isn’t good content at the end of the day thought provoking? If it isn’t, it’s likely a textbook. If your blog solicits comments, then asking a question or challenging the status quo is essential.

You can also end your post with an offer if the content warrants it. For example, I might consider ending this post with a complimentary website content or blog audit. (I won’t now but I could).

SIX: Make your post shareable

While this might seem obvious, there are lots of blogs out there that don’t even have social media share buttons. While many browsers provide these extensions, many people don’t use them. Have an easy way for readers to share, such as a Click-to-Tweet box. You might also want to consider adding in a way for readers to subscribe to your blog to keep them coming back.

If you’re not making your content readable and shareable, you might as well not blog at all. I mean WHAT’S THE POINT?

Some Additional Blog Posts to Bookmark

And sure… reach out if you’re interested in a complimentary content audit. We’re happy to help!

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