I have blog post creation scheduled into my calendar. There was a time when I would sit for hours trying to create a blog post that folks wanted to read. I’ve since devised a formula to cut through the writer’s block and get straight to the heart of writing my posts.
I have a tendency of chunking my time. By using my creative sprints, I can create large chunks of content in a small period of time and remain in the flow of my creativity. In between, I leave myself notes about what I think my readers would like to know.
Start with your keywords
My formula is really quite simple. I start with the topic that I’m writing about. I decide on 3 keywords that I want to highlight in the post that I’m writing and I choose “long tail” keywords. For example, my topic today is the formula for writing blog posts, my keyword is not just blog post, but rather, “blog post creation”, “how to write a blog post” and “what to write in a blog”. Often times, I will use a keyword tool, such as Google Adwords Keyword Tool, to come up with ideas for my keywords. Type in the topic in the word or phrase area and search for relevant keywords. Use keywords that have the highest global monthly searches and the lowest competition.
Think about what your reader most wants to know about your topic. Chances are your reader is looking for the solution to a problem that they are experiencing. Providing a solution to the problem they are experiencing is a great way to provide valuable content. How would your reader look up the solution for their problem when they type words into the Google search page? The answer to that question will give you great insight to your keywords.
Title is more important than the content
If the title of the post is not compelling, the post will be passed over. It’s as simple as that! Make your title something that grabs the readers attention and let’s the reader know that the answer they are looking for is contained within your blog post. How to and list posts work really well for creating traffic; however, there are only so many of those that you can do before you become bored. Three additional types of blog posts you might want to consider are little known ways to do something, get rid of a painful problem or an unfulfilled desire that the reader wants to remedy, and what everybody should know about regarding your topic. Potential titles for these posts include:
- What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]
- Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All
- Little Known Ways to [blank]
Size Matters
Make your blog posts 3-500 words in length. If you have long blog posts, you can spread them across segments with part 1 and part 2 if necessary. You want to solve a problem with your blog post so think about the types of questions that you are already being asked by your clients or potential clients. You might even think of your frequently asked questions list for potential problems to solve.