Introduction: How to Write a Blog Post That Will Be Read and Shared
Everyone these days has a blog, from stay-at-home moms sharing tips about raising triplets to authors who decide to bake on recipe every day from Julia Childs’ cookbook. But the best blogs have posts that readers like and share. To increase the number of people who read and share your blog posts, you need to do more than write a good blog post, though you need to do that as well. You also need to pick interesting topics that people want to know about, keep your audience in mind, and share your post with the right types of influencers.
Step 1: Pick and Research Your Topic
Don’t expect to draw attention to your blog by writing about the dream you had last night. Your blog is a perfect place to share your point of view, describe a service you offer, or weigh in on a recent tax increase. If you’re having trouble picking a topic, Google something that interests you, and see what other people are searching for. You may find that someone is looking for horses that have two tails and you own one. You can help people learn about your blog by writing about a specific topic, like a hobby. The more unique your blog, the more likely people will spend time reading what you write.
Step 2: Consider Your Audience
If you’re trying to grow a professional audience, you may want to leave out photos of last night’s night out. If your blog is how you’ll keep your family in the know about your life, then minimize the foul language. Your blog is a calling card into your life. If the type of person you want isn’t interested in your topic, or turned off by your presentation, no number of blog entries will help your audience grow.
Step 3: Write Your Blog
Approach your blog post like a mini essay. Let the reader up front what you’re writing about and your point of view. Then support this point of view. Finally, suggest places to go for more information. Giving readers something they can take away from your blog may get them to come back. Key to growing an audience is writing posts that people don’t mind reading. Keep your sentences short, use pictures, and let your personality shine through, just not in a way that is off-putting. Aim for between 300 and 600 words.
Step 4: Share Your Blog
No longer is simple sharing your blog on Facebook and your Twitter feed enough to grow your audience. The people who will see your link likely read your blog regularly already. Reach out to similar blogs and see if they’re interested in sharing a link. If your blog discusses someone specific, see if you can find him or her online and share the blog with them. Using the right keywords in your blog – that is, words someone will use to find your blog – can help up your readers as can sharing your post at the right time. Aim for between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. or between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Any earlier or later and you may miss people.
William Henderson is a Boston-based writer who has been contributing to local and national newspapers and magazines for nearly 20 years. Pure Slush is publishing Henderson’s first book in 2013.
