All too often, we think of the blog that we write for as “our” blog. And, it is. We, as the website owner, have control of the blog. We created it, we operate it, we publish posts on the blog. It is, in fact, ours.

In reality, however, “our” blog shouldn’t be entirely about us. It’s more like a partnership where we have the controlling interest, but our readers have an almost-equal say. After all, if they don’t want to read the posts we add to our blogs, we’ll quickly find ourselves in a deserted area of the Internet filled with virtual tumbleweeds.

The trick? Writing blog posts with your readers in mind. Yes, you absolutely need to incorporate your unique personality and charm into each post you write. But including your target audience (readers) in every step goes a long way to creating the best posts possible and ensuring continued engagement.

Create and Read Your Audience Persona

Do you have a target audience persona (profile)? You really should! This is essentially an outline/synopsis of those who regularly read the posts on your blog. It includes information such as:

• Age
• Income level
• Education level
• Gender
• Interests
• Hobbies
• Profession
• Stage of life
• Biggest concerns (related to the topic(s) you blog about)
• And much more.

How do these seemingly boring details impact your writing? Think about it like this.

Let’s say you operate a pet blog. You regularly write posts about dog-related topics, which is awesome! And you get some likes, shares, and comments. However, after you do a bit of research and ask some questions, you realize (much to your surprise) that 46% of your readers have only cats or have dogs and cats as companions. What’s more, 25% have ferrets in addition to a cat or dog!

Also, 58% of people have income under $35,000 per year and state that their biggest pet-related concerns are linked to the expenses of owning their pets.

Now, what do you do? You begin cranking out posts about not only dogs but also cats and ferrets. Your topics might shift from always writing about dog exercise, eating habits, and travel to also including tips for affordable health care for all of these (and other) pets.

A profile/persona can be as detailed or as simplistic as you want. Obviously, the more useful information you include, the better you’ll understand your target audience.

Start by asking some basic questions like the ones listed above to get a foundational knowledge of who you are writing to. Then add to the persona regularly as you discover new tidbits of info.

Choose the Right Blog Post Style

While editorial (opinion) blog posts are without a doubt the most used, there are lots of other styles in which you can write to switch things up and keep your visitors interested. Try one of these:

• Interview — Just like Oprah, you can bring others to your audience to share their knowledge with your peeps. Email interviews are a breeze to conduct; much less trouble than audio or video interviews (which are also great but require much more work). Send someone 5 to 10 questions via email and ask them to answer them. Format that into a blog post and you’re done!
• Investigation — Dig deep into a current event, new government policy, or even a product recall that might affect your readers. They’ll be glad you took the time to uncover and explain the details.
• Demo — Have you heard about new software, a special process, or a clever hack that your audience would love? Outline a quick demo complete with highlights of the biggest pros and cons. And, of course, lots of pics!

Depending on the topic you’re covering, one of these might work much better than the standard editorial.

Create a Title That Makes Them Say, “Oooh!”

A lot of weight hangs on the shoulders of your blog post title. This is the most important element, without a doubt. More so than the content? Yes! That’s because, if no one is impressed with your title, the chances are minuscule that they will read the rest.

As a serious blogger, you should have an arsenal of title templates at the ready, so you can elicit the reaction “Oooh … I want to read THAT!” from your visitors.

Here are 10 title templates to add to your list.

1. How I Earned [$x.xx] for Only [Doing This]
2. How I Increased [This Statistic] in [Amount of Time] With Only [This]
3. Why [This] Matters for [Selling More, Getting More Leads, Etc.] and How to Improve Yours
4. [#] Things to Remember When [Writing, Selling, Training] a Perfect [Book, Product, Service, Etc.]
5. Introducing a [Simpler, Easier, Better, Etc.] [Product, Service, Etc.] Just for [Whoever]
6. [#] Types of [Whatever] That are Proven to Work
7. [This Thing] vs. [This Other Thing]: Differences You Should Be Aware Of
8. [#] Steps for [Doing This] Right Every Time
9. [#] Traits of a Successful [Whatever]
10. Our/My [#] Favorite [Whatever] and Why I/We Love Them

Captivate Your Readers With An Engaging Opening Paragraph

Once you’ve mastered the title hurdle and enticed your audience to read on, you’ll need to hook them with your opening paragraph. Nothing conjures up a yawn quicker than phrases such as “You are probably already aware…” or “Today I want to tell you about….”

Instead of using these mediocre introductions to your post, try something a little more jolting, like:

• Leaving out nouns. “It” was the one thing I feared most and there it was dangling right in front of me. What is? What was scary? Readers have to continue on to find out.
• Replacing typical words with super verbs and adjectives. Which ones bring up a more powerful mental image? Break or smash? Promise or swear? Hate or detest? Choose words that help your audience envision precisely what you mean.
• Ask a question. When someone asks a question, our brains instantly and automatically engage in order to scour our minds for the answer. Asking questions is a good thing for hooking your audience!
• Shock your reader. Drinking just two sugary sodas per day increases your chances of cancer by 92%. Or, give it a one-two punch by turning that shocking factoid into a question: Did you know that drinking just two….

Once you devote a bit of gray matter to your target audience, you’ll find it’s easier to create exceptional blog posts that garner praise and compliments! The problem can sometimes be that we don’t have the proper inspiration to expand our skills when it comes to blog writing.

NOTE FROM DENISE: I thought I had everything pretty well figured out when it comes to blogging until I read Karon Thackston’s ebook “Blogging Advantage: How to Create Blog Posts That Entice & Engage.” I was blown away as I clicked from page to page and saw the creative ideas and templates Karon laid out. You should give it a look for yourself. If you use the link above and coupon code DENISEBA10 you’ll save $10, too.

Blog cover image: Hannah Olinger

The post 4 Ways You Can Start Writing Better Blog Posts Immediately appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Guest post by D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed.

I’d like to thank Denise for graciously hosting me, as a guest blogger, in celebration of the launch of my newest book, 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour.

In this blog post, I’d like to share with you one of “21 Ways” to launch a successful virtual book tour. This tip comes from “Way #16: Make the Most of Your Blog Posts!”

In essence, your audio, video, and written blog posts are “virtual real estate.” In addition to providing informational, educational, or entertaining content, you can include subtle marketing material. For example, at the end of each of your blog posts, you can include information about yourself along with a compelling reason why people should come to your blog.

Respond to readers’ comments

During your virtual book tour, people will share comments and ask questions. Use this interaction as an opportunity to both illustrate your expertise and build a relationship with your readers. One way to encourage comments is to ask a question at the end of your blog posts. For example, you can ask the readers’ opinion of what you wrote or a specific question. Then respond to their comments. Authors who respond to comments generally get many more comments than those who don’t. This in turn helps with search engine optimization (SEO).

During your virtual book tour, you’ll want to visit each blog multiple times: at least once on the day you’re scheduled to appear there, as well as throughout the tour. These visits will allow you to respond to additional comments.

Add images to your blog posts

Adding images to your blog posts makes them more attractive and engages your readers. Such images will increase the likelihood of people reading through your post and possibly asking a question or sharing a comment. Adding images also makes it easier for people to share your post on Pinterest, thus broadening your reach. Be sure to include a photograph of you smiling with each blog post, as well as an image of your book. These additional steps will grow your branding and allow your readers to identify with you.

Create a Call to Action in your post signature

As part of your book tour, you’ll have the opportunity to build relationships with new readers. Include a call to action in the signature block at the end of each blog post. An example of an effective call to action is an invitation to readers to visit your blog where they can enter their names and email addresses in order to receive a free chapter of your book.

Create a signature template file

Create a template file you can use for each of your posts. To do this, open up a Word document and compose your blog post signature. Typically, this signature block includes 100–150 words, where you can include things like your name, credentials, book title, blog URL, how you help people, and a compelling reason why people should visit your blog. Offering people a free chapter of your book is an excellent strategy. Once you’ve created your signature file, save this as a template so you can easily copy and paste the content to the bottom of each of your blog posts.

Do you have a blog post tip you can share with our readers? Did one of these tips capture your attention? Scroll down and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

This post is being written in honor of a virtual book tour celebrating the publication of my third print book. You can enjoy the festivities by joining us on the tour to 21 blogs, in honor of 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour. Scroll down to access the virtual book tour schedule as well as a link to the book on Amazon. Thank you and enjoy!

D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., is the author of 21 Ways to Launch a Successful Virtual Book Tour. Visit her book blog and check out the full schedule for the virtual book tour, celebrating the launch of this exciting new book: www.VirtualBookTour21Ways.com

D’vorah offers virtual book tour workshops and courses for authors, entrepreneurs, and virtual professionals. She has taught hundreds of people, across the globe, how to conduct successful virtual book tours. You can purchase her newest book on Amazon.

The post Make the Most of Your Blog Posts appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.