Do your blog posts lack something? Perhaps you’re trying hard, but you never seem to get more than a couple of comments – and you only have a handful of subscribers. The problem is, you don’t have hours to spend on perfecting every post – you’ve got a busy life.
Here are four simple, quick ways to improve any blog post:
#1: Add a Great Image
I’m sure you’ve heard this advice time and time again! Most blog posts, particularly longer ones, benefit from at least one great image. You can use images to:
Where can you find images for your blog posts? I use Flickr – making sure to search for Creative Commons images licensed for commercial use. (You can do that with the advanced search here.) Remember to cite the artist/photographer, and link back to their Flickr page.
#2: Edit Your Introduction
After the title, the most crucial part of your blog post is the introduction. Your first couple of paragraphs – even your first couple of sentences – have to hook the reader and convince them to read on. Otherwise, there’s not much point you writing the rest of the post!
If you only have a few minutes for editing, spend them on the introduction. Make sure that the first line grabs the reader’s attention (perhaps with a question, or a provocative statement) and that the rest of the introduction clearly sets up the topic of the post.
#3: Add Formatting
However great your writing is, readers aren’t likely to have the patience to read long, unbroken paragraphs online. They want short paragraphs, bullet-pointed lists, bold text and subheadings, which break up your post and make it easier to understand.
By spending just a couple of minutes adding formatting – perhaps putting in subheadings, or finding a few key sentences to highlight with bold text – you make your post much more engaging and easy to read.
#4: Check Your Call to Action
A “call to action” is when you give the reader a specific prompt to do something. Usually, the best place for this is at the end of your post. Your call to action might be:
… and so on.
Think hard about what actions would be most helpful to you. For instance, if you’re keen to increase readers’ engagement with your blog, ask them to comment; if you want more traffic, ask them to share your post on social media.
Today, try putting into practice at least one of these tips: that might be on a post-in-progress, or on a previously-published post that you want to enhance.
by Ali Luke
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/
Here are four simple, quick ways to improve any blog post:
#1: Add a Great Image
I’m sure you’ve heard this advice time and time again! Most blog posts, particularly longer ones, benefit from at least one great image. You can use images to:
- Catch the reader’s eye, typically at the top of the post
- Break up a long post, typically between paragraphs
- Help the reader understand key points, perhaps with screenshots or photos alongside paragraphs of text
Where can you find images for your blog posts? I use Flickr – making sure to search for Creative Commons images licensed for commercial use. (You can do that with the advanced search here.) Remember to cite the artist/photographer, and link back to their Flickr page.
#2: Edit Your Introduction
After the title, the most crucial part of your blog post is the introduction. Your first couple of paragraphs – even your first couple of sentences – have to hook the reader and convince them to read on. Otherwise, there’s not much point you writing the rest of the post!
If you only have a few minutes for editing, spend them on the introduction. Make sure that the first line grabs the reader’s attention (perhaps with a question, or a provocative statement) and that the rest of the introduction clearly sets up the topic of the post.
#3: Add Formatting
However great your writing is, readers aren’t likely to have the patience to read long, unbroken paragraphs online. They want short paragraphs, bullet-pointed lists, bold text and subheadings, which break up your post and make it easier to understand.
By spending just a couple of minutes adding formatting – perhaps putting in subheadings, or finding a few key sentences to highlight with bold text – you make your post much more engaging and easy to read.
#4: Check Your Call to Action
A “call to action” is when you give the reader a specific prompt to do something. Usually, the best place for this is at the end of your post. Your call to action might be:
- Leave a comment below and let me know what you think
- If you enjoyed these post, please tweet it, or share it on Facebook
- Click here to get the blog feed by RSS, so you never miss a post
… and so on.
Think hard about what actions would be most helpful to you. For instance, if you’re keen to increase readers’ engagement with your blog, ask them to comment; if you want more traffic, ask them to share your post on social media.
Today, try putting into practice at least one of these tips: that might be on a post-in-progress, or on a previously-published post that you want to enhance.
by Ali Luke
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/
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