Writing a Blog Post: How to Create Blog Articles That Excite

Who doesn't know it: You have this one topic you could write a whole book about. You are very familiar with it and are often asked for advice on it. If you like to share your knowledge and want to make it accessible to others everywhere, it makes sense to write blog posts on these topics. The creation is not complicated at all. Bloggers are now an integral part of our media landscape for a reason. To be successful with your blog, one thing is particularly important: Write really good blog posts that thrill your readers and provide them with added value. With a little practice and the information from this article, you will be able to master this in no time. First, you'll learn what blog posts are and how to write really good blog articles. Then it's about how to write informative posts and get started with blogging. Finally, you'll learn which tools you can use for your blog. In the end, all the tips are summarized again in a compact step-by-step guide.

What are blog posts?

Let's start with the most basic question. What are blog posts actually? These are articles that are usually published in chronological order on a website, the so-called blog. Blog posts are self-written contributions from an author. With these articles, you as the authors of the blog make sure that your target group is regularly informed about the topics that concern you. Most blog articles contain general topics, which are then supplemented with your own experiences and thoughts. So you can think of your blog posts a bit like an entry in a diary that is publicly accessible on the internet.

Writing a good blog post: 12 Tips

So far, so good, but you don't just want to write off the cuff? Only writers can do that. Not at all! It's not that hard to write really good blog articles that your readers will enjoy reading. However, you shouldn't just type wildly, but think about what you want to pass on to them.

You can divide your work on your blog article into three phases: 1. The preparatory work, where you deal with your goals and the topic. Then comes 2. The main part, where it's about writing texts with added value, structuring them appealingly and optimizing them for search engines. The 3rd step is the fine-tuning. In this step, you check your work again before publishing the blog post.

Tip #1: Set a goal for your blog post

What information do you want your readers to take away from the post and what connections do you want to clarify for them? What should they do after reading your blog post? Your goal can be very different: customers should buy a certain product, be able to argue better, sign up for a list, write a comment or make an appointment with you. No matter what your goal is, keep it in mind throughout the writing process.

Tip #2: Find a suitable topic for your article

The next point probably sounds completely banal, but is unavoidable: find the right topic. Nothing reads more boring than a blog article where the readers notice that there is no passion in it. So why should you waste your time writing things you don't feel passionate about and don't know much about? A suitable topic makes you and your blog post credible and authentic. This, in turn, gives more meaning to your written words – you see, you're creating a success spiral.

Tip #3: Structure your thoughts and your article

To ensure that you always keep your goal in view, it is useful to write down your thoughts on your chosen topic. From these, you can form a structure that creates the common thread in your blog post and captivates your readers.

Tip #4: Write your blog article for the target audience

You already notice, it's all about your blog visitors. This brings us to an essential point. To write good blog articles, you must know your target group. Be aware of who the people are you are writing for and what interests them. If you know this, you can write in their words, i.e. speak to them on an equal footing. Depending on the target group you have, you can address your readers in a casual or formal manner, in the plural or singular. Your writing style should also emerge from this: technically serious, casual and funny or rather objectively distanced. How much time do your readers spend reading your blog article? Do they read it on their PC or on the go on their cell phones? This is crucial for the length of the blog article. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions. Anything goes, as long as it fits your target group.

Tip #5 : Deliver real added value with your blog post

While you were dealing with your target group, you found out which problems you can solve for them. You know their dreams and wishes, hopes and worries. If you structure your blog post in such a way that it answers these questions and provides solutions, gives them tips and tricks or provides inspiration and food for thought, you generate real added value for them. This makes them perceive you as experts and builds trust in you.

Tip #6: Write a gripping headline for your article

In order for your target group to click on the newly written blog post at all, it's important to write a good headline. It should activate the visitors of your blog and make them curious. Make it clear to them what to expect in your article without going into too much detail – after all, the blog article should still be read in its entirety. A good headline describes a benefit promise, makes people curious about the article and makes it clear who should read this article. Authors use different stylistic devices for this, such as commands (Get this social media checklist now so you don't waste any more budget), how to – without having to (How to produce regular content without spending a lot of time) or lists (12 tips for blog posts that will thrill your readers). Trust your gut when creating the headline. Which formulation appeals most to your readers?

Tip #7: Convince with the first paragraph

Great, your post has been clicked on. Now it gets serious, because the first paragraph must deliver what the headline has teased so that your readers will stay on. The danger of your target group being distracted by other things on the internet is great. So you have to convince them that they should take the time to read your article carefully and to the end. You can do this by highlighting your promise again, for example, that users will learn in this article how to write blog articles that will thrill their readers. You can also announce what the rest of the text will offer. This can be a step-by-step guide for good blog posts, for example. If your target group reads the first paragraph carefully, the probability that they will also read the rest of the article increases. It's like going to the movies: If you like the trailer, you're more likely to want to see the movie in the cinema.

Here you can see an example of a good blog article. The headline is gripping and a bit provocative. In the first paragraph, the questions that the potential target group is asking are taken up, which makes them curious to stay tuned. At the end of the first section, an outlook is given on the further course of the text, which takes up the promise from the headline again. The chances are therefore very high that the readers will continue reading the article.

Tip #8: Work with subheadings in your blog post

To make your blog entry more clear, it is useful to use subheadings. Sometimes, the interested parties just scan over an article. With suitable subheadings, you can pick them up exactly at the appropriate spot for them. Additionally, you should generally keep your sentences short and dedicate a separate paragraph to each new idea. This makes it easier for your readers to read and absorb the content faster.

Tip #9: Include images and infographics in the blog article

In addition to the structuring subheadings, you can lighten up your blog entries with suitable images, GIFs or infographics. They offer your readers variety and can provide additional information that you might otherwise have to describe at length. And what does the saying go? A picture sometimes says more than 1000 words.

Tip #10: Use different formats

Depending on the article and topic, you can use different formats for your blog entry. Popular formats are guides, tutorials, checklists or practical experience reports. With the right mix of formats, your articles remain interesting and varied for your target group in the long term.

Tip #11: Pay attention to the keywords when writing your article

In addition to the input to be conveyed, you should also deal with relevant keywords. They enable you to be found in the search engines and bring the readers to your blog. The better the keywords match the search query of the searching people, the more relevant is your blog article for the search engine. Clearly, you write the article primarily for your target group, but since Google and Co. always read along, you should find a balance between SEO and reader expectations when writing. Thank God, there are a variety of helpful SEO tools that can support you in this.

Tip #12: Bring in your personal style

Don't forget about style in all the content. It's your personal touch, your own style, that makes your blog article particularly authentic and individual. Your readers recognize you by your style and feel connected to you. These are good prerequisites for a good author-reader relationship.

So you write interesting and informative blog articles

Even though a blog post comes close to a public diary entry, there should be more in it than “Dear diary, today I did xy.” So the magic word for informative articles is: research, research, research. After you have found out what problems, worries and wishes your target group has, you can start with the content of your blog entry.

For this you can use a variety of different media:

• Topic related blogs
• Specialist literature in the form of books or magazines
• Forums
• Social media
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Personal discussions and conversations

There are no limits to your creativity. But make sure that you create unique content. In plain language this means: research and inform is allowed, copy and paste is not. Neither search engines nor other blog operators find this funny. If your readers know your personal style, they will also notice the style break. If you read different articles and media across the board, this will also consolidate your knowledge for this topic area. This not only affects your expert status, but also the time it takes you to write your blog post. Because once you've understood the contexts and internalized the information, the words will just flow out of you. Give it a try!

It's not hard to become a blogger

You can now write good and informative articles that will thrill your target group. So now it's time to show the world your blog articles. To do this, you first need to set up your blog. This is not difficult and does not require deep technical knowledge. First, you choose the blog platform you want to work with. Afterwards, you can start designing your blog. Here, you can determine the colors and layout with a theme that matches you and your topic. The choice of the right theme is more important than it seems at first. After all, the first impression is usually the decisive factor. Your blog is your business card and should reflect what it's all about and what you as a person behind your blog stand for. You can think of this like a job interview. Your clothes will contribute a significant part to the first impression that your potential employer gets of you.

Themes form the outfit of your blog. They determine how interested parties get your articles displayed.

When this part is done and you feel comfortable with the outfit of your blog, you can deal with the technical tools. Here you distinguish between plugins and tools. Through plugins, so-called add-ons, you can extend your blog with elements such as newsletters, contact forms or security services. SEO plugins like Yoast SEO help you to check your blog articles for readability and keywords. Such tools can also support you in developing strategies for your blog and the customer journey. With Google Analytics, for example, you can track how many visitors your site has and how they behave on your blog. In the Google Search Console you can see what place you take in the search engine ranking and optimize your website accordingly for SEO.

With the Google Search Console, you can view information about your readers that helps you understand their journey on your site.

If you don't want to create your own blog, there's still a way you can publish your blog posts. You can regularly publish guest articles on other blogs. This can help increase your expert status and therefore your credibility. But make sure that the guest blogs also match your topic. Here the rule is: quality over quantity.

These content management systems are suitable for your blog

Before you can really take off, you first need a suitable content management system for your blog. You should use a professional blog software because you have full control over your data with these systems. If you run your website with Wix for example, you can take your blog offline in the short term if needed, determine or change your domain yourself. With free tools, you have no control over the functions and the processing of your data. Additionally, professional CMS tools like WordPress and Jimdo are already available for a small monthly fee. For this fee, they offer you a large selection of themes and plugins with which you can design your blog so that it fits you and your target group perfectly.

Step by step guide to writing a blog post

Finally, here it is: The checklist with which you can publish your first, second and millionth blog article. Feel free to change the order if you can work better that way. You have to feel comfortable with it.

Step 1 – Thoroughly research your topic

Step 2 – Create a first, rough structure

Step 3 – Keep the target group in mind

Step 4 – Formulate an engaging headline

Step 5 – Create a promising first paragraph

Step 6 – Write about the problems and solutions of your target group

Step 7 – Use subheadings

Step 8 – Structure your blog article with pictures and graphics

Step 9 – Pay attention to the keywords

Step 10 – Fill any gaps in your article

Step 11 – Proofread your blog post

Step 12 – Final polish on the article (formulations, address etc.)

Step 13 – Check spelling and grammar

Step 14 – Set appropriate links

Step 15 – Check how the blog article looks in the preview

Step 16 – Publish your (first) blog entry

Enough of the theory - let's get to the keyboard and start writing blog articles

Building a really good blog article is not complicated at all, if you constantly keep in mind the goal you want to achieve and the target group you are writing for. Loosen up your blog entry with subheadings and pictures and keep the promise you make to your readers in the headline. In advance, you have researched extensively and can thus create real added value for your blog visitors. SEO tools can help you use the appropriate keywords. Before you start, you should use a professional content management system. This offers you a wide range of design options that make your blog unique and authentic. Above all, don't forget one thing when writing: Have fun and bring in your experiences. This personal touch will make the difference for your readers, which will make them want to come back to read more exciting and really good blog posts from you.