How to Easily Write a Blog that People Want to Read

There's a lot more to writing a blog than the actual content itself. But who has the time or the patience to write a blog if nobody is going to read it? After all, you've got a business to run! As a former CBS Radio Reporter and TV News Producer for all the major networks, I know what it means to crank out stories under a tight deadline that people will actually care about. So, I have a pretty good idea what makes people stick with a story. It's not brain science, but there are a few critical elements you need to learn to easily write a blog that people want to read.

How To Easily Write an Blog That People Want to Read

Visual Content Rules!

Yes, video is king in terms of content marketing. However, using visuals in general is a surefire way to get readers engaged in your content. Here's a few findings in a recent report by Social Media Examiner that proves my point:

1) 37% of marketers said visual marketing was the most important form of content for their business, second only to blogging (38%).

2) 74% of social media marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing, ahead of blogs (68%) and videos (60%).

3) When people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.

Headlines: The 80/20 Rule

So where do we start? When there are millions of blogs that are posted every day, billions of emails that are read (or in my case discarded!), and millions of tweets, it takes more than just good writing to stand out. In fact, did you know that according to some sources, 80% of people don't get past the headline. Only 20% actually read beyond it. Your goal in writing a blog is to get them to read the next sentence, and then the next sentence after that, and so on.

So, your title or headline is your first step in sucking those readers in. If your blog is important to generating leads and growing your business, it's even that much more important to turn that 80/20 rule into 20/80.

How to Write a Whiz-Bang Headline

Sometimes when I write a blog, I don't always know what my headline will be until I'm half-way through writing it. As the words begin to flow from my head to my fingertips, little nuggets begin to form and suddenly a headline is born. Sometimes it takes a great photo to really give it the punch it needs, like the sleeping woman above. The point of the photo is to suggest that someone fell asleep while reading a boring blog. (Hopefully that won't be you while you're reading this blog!)

Here are 3 key elements to create an engaging headline:

Adjective + Call-To-Action Words + A Number

You don't have to use all 3 or in that order. Take this blog for example. The headline, "How To Easily Write a Blog That People Want to Read," explains what the article is about, but points to a source of pain we all live through. The pain is that we know that a blog is essential to providing useful content for our business, but we want to make sure it's worth our time to write it. It also can be very time-consuming. Using the adjective, "easily" speaks to those who dread taking time away from their business to write a blog. "That People Want to Read," is the call-to-action.

Know your audience

It's a similar principle you would apply to your business. First, identify your ideal client (reader), know what problems they have and then how are you going to solve those problems? Your headline should identify the problem of  your ideal client (reader). Then it's your job to give solutions to the problem in your blog in an engaging, interesting way.

Your First Paragraph

Ok, you wrote a snappy headline and peaked their interest. Now you need to write an intriguing introductory paragraph. In news, we call it, "the lead." Don't bury the lead! This is what will keep them reading. Remember, all you want to do is to get them to your next sentence. Your introductory paragraph should say exactly what you are going to tell them about and why it's important for them to read on. Here is where you can elaborate on your headline. What is your reader's problem and how are you going to solve their problem? Other ways you can grab your reader's attention is to tell a story or a joke, be empathetic, or grip the reader with an interesting fact or statistic.