Every solopreneur dreams of crafting the perfect blog post — one that entertains, educates, or motivates readers while showcasing their expertise.
But what’s the secret sauce to creating blog content that’s engaging?
The secret that keeps your audience reading your content, paragraph to paragraph, right down to the end so they don’t visually bored?
The answer is getting the right ratio or balance between words, images, and videos in your content BUT it depends on who’s reading it.
Every-time I write an article, I learn more about this.
And we’ll keep things light and save the nitty-gritty of SEO and page speed for another day.
How to Write Blog Content Using Words
great for in-depth explanations and storytelling
Words are the foundation of any great blog post. They allow you to provide detailed explanations and share captivating stories that engage your audience.
But because your audience consumes content differently, make it easy for them.
- Focus on clear, concise language that conveys your message, meaning if you’re writing for an audience of doctors, you can use technical language, but if you’re writing to the mom who’s learning how to make a 5 ingredient cake, eliminate the industry jargon.
- Break up long paragraphs with subheadings and bullet points to make your content easily digestible.
- Depending on your reader, they may be a skimmer, so make your subheadings bold. Your reader should be able to get the gist of the article just from reading the subheadings.
- Dive deep into topics with well-structured blog posts that educate your audience. Share your personal journey or success stories to create a connection with your readers.
- For example, a step-by-step tutorial on building a planter box can be helpful, but it would serve your reader better if you provided images or, even better, a video to showcase your expertise.
- If you have a video inside your blog post, create captions for the video, which allows people to watch the video with the audio off.
- Bonus points if you also create a transcript for your video so people don’t have to take notes. They can print the transcript.
Don’t underestimate the written word in engaging your audience, because words can truly make your content come alive. It all comes down to the type of article and who’s reading it.
Using Images in Your Blog Content
capture attention, illustrate concepts
Visuals can make or break your content’s appeal. Incorporate relevant images throughout your blog posts to support your written content.
- Use images to draw attention to a topic
- Use images to grab your reader’s attention and keep them hooked.
- Infographics can simplify complex information, while photographs evoke emotions or set the tone for your content.
- Keep the images relevant to the copy. If you’re writing an article about home décor featuring an ocean theme, avoid using images in your article with animals, barns or plumbing (you get the idea right?).
- Consider adding a custom illustration to clarify a difficult concept in a blog post about a technical topic, a chart that highlights trends in your industry, or an image that shows a relatable situation.
- Images not only enhance your content but also provide a break in a word heavy article.
- How many images you include in your article depends on the type of content and who’s reading it. If it’s a recipe, you’ll want many images to show with each step. But if it’s an opinion piece, poetry, creative writing, legal, technical or academic article, images may not add anything to benefit the content.
Suggestion: At a minimum, have one image at the top of your article.
Using Video in your Blog Content
demonstrate processes and behind the scenes
Include videos in your blog posts to add a dynamic element that keeps readers interested.
- How-to videos that can work alongside a step-by-step guide give your readers two ways to follow along. Some people learn better by watching videos, some by reading. Why not give them both.
- You can embed a webinar recording, or video testimonials to build trust.
For example:
- we’ve all seen the power of video when it comes to following a recipe
- embed a tutorial that demonstrates a technique relevant to your zone of genius
- a fitness coach could create a video series of workout routines to demonstrate proper form and technique
- you can also share your thoughts in a vlog-style format.
Videos foster a deeper connection with your audience and keep them consuming your blog content for a longer period of time.
Wrapping it Up
If you want your reader to consume your blog content from the start to the end, it’s about finding the right mix of words, images, and videos to keep them engaged. There’s no magic technique, and it does depend on the type of content you’re creating and who’s consuming it.
Test all three formats, individually and combined. You can also ask your audience how they prefer to consume your content.
There is so much content out there; make it easy for your reader so they feel like they’ve learned something, were entertained, or were motivated to take some type of action.
0 Comments