How To Write A Killer Blog Post ~ Iwebslog Blog

Blog Machine (Photo credit: digitalrob70)

Learn how to write a killer blog post with these simple tips and tricks that will turn your posts into viral creating, lead sucking, traffic producing, value-added content with this quick and simple format. You will want to incorporate these tips on how to writing a great blog post into each and every one of your posts if you want to see results in terms of traffic and building viral activity, getting people involved and leaving comments, and helping to share your content and give you more exposure.

I am going to keep this simple and straightforward while giving you a ton of tips and golden nuggets to help you really get an idea of how to turn your lackluster posts into something a bit more attractive. This blueprint on how to write a great blog post is designed for anyone in direct response marketing. In other words, if you are writing a blog for your extended family on your kids growing up on your shanty boat in the bayou, well, most likely you are not reading this... If however, you are marketing your products or services and you want people to take action, you will certainly want to implement these tactics and follow this outline.

I should also mention that you can integrate these tips and tricks on how to write great blog post into any and all content you create, whether that is with videos, articles, or even with emails and e-books. O.k., sounds great, now let's get after the skills of writing a great blog post that will make you proud and most importantly, get you results.

First off, I want to quickly talk about the power of clarifying your customer avatar. If you have not yet done so, you will need to take a little time to get clear about who your ideal customer is. Who is the perfect person for your product or service? Who would the perfect business partner be for you? What are they looking for? When you get clear on your customer avatar, the skill of writing a great blog post becomes much more simple and focused as you will have a clear idea of who you are speaking to and you will naturally design your content with them in mind.

With direct response marketing, there are four main types of blog posts.

Content Post
Promotion Post
Community Post
Lead Generation/Contact Post

The first type is a content post (much like this post) that discusses a certain subject and gives value to the reader and defines your blog's intent. The second type is a promotion post where you promote a product or service and may earn money. The third type is a community post discussing social issues or giving an interview or promoting a person or group (tribe) of people and earn some trackbacks and linkbacks. The fourth type is designed to capture contacts by promoting a valuable resource, product or service, here you will get the email ids of your users that you can use for your mailing lists. When learning how to write a killer blog post, you will generally want to create your content based on one of these main types.

Now let's get into writing a great blog post and structuring our content to create the desired action from our readers.

Title/Headline of the Post

The skill of writing a great blog post begins with writing out a powerful and compelling headline. Everything you do should focus on the benefit others will receive from your content and your headline is no exception. You want to grab peoples attention with your headline. This is the most important part of your entire post since if you can't get people to your content then your actual post is just a waste of time. I always structure my headline around specific keywords first and foremost. Some tips to consider when crafting your headline are to keep it as short as possible while trying to give a clear benefit, ask a question, give a how to..., give lists, steps or keys, define something, propose a theory, give a solution, or make it something that will have a personal impact to your reader.

Post Summary

Next we want to craft an introduction within one or two paragraphs that will develop interest for your reader and get them to continue reading so they will get the value of your entire post. Your reader was sucked into your content by your powerful headline, now you want to get them involved by asking a question, painting a picture or telling a story. Be creative and unique... this is where you lay out what you are going to tell them in the rest of your blog post. This specific tip on writing great blog content should serve you very well over time as this is the place where you can really draw your reader in and capture their interest. Always lead with benefits... give them powerful benefits to reading your post so they have no choice but to read through and soak up the value they came for.

Post Content/Body

Now we are ready to create the body of our content. This is where we give the main value to our reader. One of the best tips I can give you on how to write a killer blog post is to just be yourself. Remember to write in your own voice and try to express your personality in your content. Be genuine and authentic while you solve a problem or tell your story while engaging your reader. Give three to four useful tips and try to keep your post easy on the eyes by using sub-headlines, bold or underlined keywords and phrases, keeping your paragraphs short, or using bullet points.

Final Conclusion

Once you have finished the body of your post, it's time to tie things up with a good conclusion. All the aspects of how to write a killer blog post come together with your conclusion and I am going to give you a few more golden nuggets here so you will really get the "viral, lead sucking, traffic producing" effect you desire. This is really simple since you have already given the value, the benefits, or the solution that you have hopefully planned your blog post around. What you want to do here is essentially just give a recap of what you have laid out in the body of your post and drive home your main points.

The important part of writing a great conclusion is that you want to create movement here... If you are writing either a promotion type of post or trying to capture contacts, you will need to spice up your conclusion with a touch of motivation. You want to get people to take your desired action and you do this with motivation. You can close with a warning and motivate them with the desire to move away from pain or you can motivate them to get more pleasure by taking your desired action. If you are writing either a community or content type of post, you can simply encourage people to get involved on your blog by leaving a comment or syndicating your post. One way to encourage comments is by asking a specific question that relates to your content.

Call to Action/Buttons

Always give a clear call to action... This will develop more viral activity and produce more traffic which will create more leads. Learning how to write a killer blog post is a simple but powerful skill that you can use to create action from your readers and subscribers. You can also place an opt-in box below your blog post if it relates to what you discuss in your post and let your readers know that what they have read is just a taste of what they will get if they simply fill in the opt-in form.

Now I want to give you a little bonus value here by letting you in on my viral recipe for writing a great blog post that really has the potential to blow up your visibility with each post you create.

It all starts with really great content so take your time and quit cranking out meaningless garbage and throwing it against the wall to see if it sticks. If you want to build up your abilities at writing a great blog post, just do your best and do a little more, a little better each day. One great blog post is better than three junky one's any day, even if it takes you twice as long. This does not need to be Hemingway quality stuff but it should show the extra effort along with proper grammar and be readable and most of all be pure value to your readers. Unless you add a video to your post, you will want to create blog posts between 400 and 1,500 words. Some people believe longer posts convey higher value but you certainly don't want it too long as no one will read it.

Here is my viral recipe:

If you want to know how to write a killer blog post that has the potential to go viral, just take what you have learned so far and combine the following principles... First create response-invoking content by making it engaging and spread worthy, also try to create content that meets and fulfills an immediate need to your reader. Make sure your content is high quality, specific, targeted, relevant, and original. Then add 1 part educational value, 1 part enlightening value, 1 part entertaining value, and 1 part inspirational value. Mix contents well and add the secret ingredient - a dash of controversy.

That's it. That's about all you need to know on how to write a great blog post. I gave you a ton of tips here but you can easily simplify and speed up your process along your blogging journey. If you feel this post was helpful, make sure to share it with your friends on all your favorite social media sites. Also, I love hearing from you and reading your thoughts so don't forget to join the conversation and leave your comments...

Ragnar Crowley is a value driven online attraction marketing and personal development coach. He is the owner and creator of Inside Out Entrepreneurs LLC and is a top leader in the home business / network marketing industry. To learn his strategic, leading edge, holistic approach to becoming a successful online entrepreneur while gaining free access to all the latest tools, resources, techniques, and business-boosting strategies to build your own massively successful online empire...

Resources for Blog Writing