Even after you’ve found your personal writing style or voice and figured out what to write about, you may still struggle with how to format the information you’re trying to communicate. The best way to avoid falling victim to “blogger’s block” is to give your creative juices a bit of a jumpstart in the form of a blog post template.
The following blog post template is a mash-up of several popular blog post structures. This template represents a super-simple structure that can be used for just about any type of article. Use it to get started and, as you become more comfortable structuring your content, experiment with your own structures that work for you.
Six Elements of a Perfect Blog Post
Depending on the subject matter, you may choose to add or reformat specific sections of your articles, but every piece of content you publish should follow this structure:
The headline is the core element in any form of advertising or copy. In fact, I’ve heard several copywriting experts say they spend 70-80 percent of their article creation time developing a great headline! This is for good reason: most Web surfers view Web pages and content in “scan mode,” glancing over content for anything that stands out.
Your headline should grab your readers’ attention and make them feel like skipping your article could be one of the worst decisions they’ve ever made! Each of the following headline formats is designed to hit certain well-known psychological triggers (such as curiosity, fear of loss, relevancy). These triggers work very well, as humans are often pre-programmed to react to certain stimuli on a subconscious level.
Ten Headline Formats to Make Your Content stand out:
KEY CONCEPT: Don’t Forget SEO
Remember to include one or two of your target search terms in your title whenever possible. A good rule of thumb when it comes to balancing SEO with human interest in headlines is to think of your readers first, with a little SEO love thrown in for good measure.
For example, if you write an article targeting the search phrase “best wedding invitation designs,” preserve the target search term in its exact form when devising a headline. Just add one or more of the ten headline formats above. You could use any of the following:
Learn More: How to Write Headlines That Work (copyblogger.com):
After you’ve crafted the perfect, show-stopping headline, it’s time to write the introduction. The introduction is an important element of your article, serving as a gateway between the attention-grabbing headline and the body section or “meat” of your article.
It’s important to remember the “slippery slide” concept here, as the headline did its job of making your reader take notice of your article, but only long enough to read the introduction, where she will make an ultra-quick decision as to whether your article is worth the investment of time.
An effective introduction should connect with your reader by repeating the problem, issue, or question that brought him or her to your article, while creating some suspense and compelling him or her to read more.
A solid introduction is made up of three components:
1. State the problem. The problem is the main question, concern, or issue to your reader and the risks of not taking action and/or finding a solution.
For example, for an article titled, “5 Simple Ways to Get a Raise at Work,” the problems of the reader might include:
No matter what your article is about, the purpose of its content will be to provide value or solve a problem for the reader.
2. Point out the risks: The risk is what happens to the reader if he or she does not read your article and gain the information needed to make a good decision or take the right action.
3. Reveal the promise: The promise is a very short, direct statement that explains what your article will cover. Think of the promise as a succinct description of the benefits your readers will gain from consuming your article.
Let’s continue with our “5 Simple Ways to Get a Raise at Work” article topic and create a sample introduction, combining the problem statement and promise:
{PROBLEM:} “Asking for a raise at work can be a stressful experience. Many employees feel certain it’s time for a promotion and/or raise but are unsure how to ask or perhaps even afraid of being denied their well-deserved increase in compensation. {RISK:} If you don’t approach asking for your promotion the right way, you may end up spending months or longer being paid less than you’re worth—or worse! {PROMISE:} In this article, we’re about to reveal three surefire, time-tested methods for asking for a raise, increasing your odds of getting that promotion you deserve, and ensuring that your boss appreciates your value and sees you as an indispensable resource!”
The body is the meat of your article, outlining the simple steps, points, or resources that your reader tuned in for. For this section, dig right in and get going with the details of your blog post.
In the body, it’s important to stay on point and present your topic clearly and concisely. One of the most popular body formats for many writers and bloggers is the bulleted or numbered list format. Depending on the type of content, this could be a list of points, techniques, steps (for “how to” articles), or arguments.
Make Your Content Highly Readable
Before visitors start to read or consume your content, they’ll likely give it a “what am I getting into” once-over, trying to gauge how easy it will be to read. If your visitors see long droning paragraphs (or the fact that your video is fifty minutes long), they’ll likely bounce, searching for a more concise or more easily readable source of information. To make your content more readable, use small paragraphs, bulleted lists, and clearly defined headings. For video content, break up longer videos into smaller stand-alone segments of information. Think of each piece of content from an overall visual perspective. Does it seem long and droning, or concise, clearly organized, and “punchy”?
Many writers find that thinking of their content in this simple framework helps them better organize their thoughts and write content more quickly. This format works great from a “user experience” standpoint as well, as most consumers of online content are familiar with this format and will likely appreciate the ease of use it provides.
The supporting graphic plays a critical role in reader engagement, providing a powerful visual that grabs your reader’s attention while also revealing some clue as to what the article is about.
Countless studies have revealed the effectiveness of using photos and graphics in all forms of media. Use a photo or image in every blog post.
Best Practices for Using Images in Blogs
Many of the best practices for blog images share the same goal as other forms of content: to grab your reader’s attention, add value, and keep them engaged. Here are a few of my top tips for ensuring that your blog images stand out:
The summary section is a short but very important section. This is where you “bring it on home,” leaving your reader with a succinct conclusion or takeaway from your article. This is also where you should use social proof, further establishing yourself as the expert in your niche, and also list additional resources that were not included in the body of your article.
It’s important to use all three of these elements in your article summary and properly set up the article’s call to action.
Sum up your content into a concise takeaway. This is a simple one- to three-sentence summary of the article you’ve written. It should quickly remind the reader of the problem, risks, and solution.
Build social proof and authority. Add one or two quick sentences about your particular expertise in the topic that your article is about. Nothing over the top, just a quick injection of social proof that reminds your readers that you and your business are the best at what you do.
List additional resources. In many cases, your short blog article shouldn’t be considered the comprehensive resource for the topic being covered. Therefore, the last element of the summary section is a place to list additional resources related to the article’s topic. Doing this adds great value to your readers—value that they’ll be sure to pick up on and reciprocate in the form of repeat visits, referrals, and patronage.
Let’s create an example article summary by combining the aforementioned three elements:
{Takeaway}: “As stressful as asking for a raise can be, not doing so can result in worse consequences than asking and getting denied. When you consider how much is at stake, it’s critical to follow a proven, three-step process to increase your odds of obtaining the promotion you deserve: Go above and beyond the call of duty, quantify your contribution, and present your offer with options. {Social Proof}: Over my fifteen years as a career consultant, I have helped hundreds of employees get well-deserved promotions and raises using these three powerful techniques.
Each time you develop a piece of content, it’s important to keep the goal in mind. This keeps you focused on which topic and related keywords you should be using, as well as the desired action(s) you’d like your readers to take. Of course, all of your content should add value to, educate, and increase engagement from your target audience.
Many writers make the mistake of leaving a clear call to action out of their content. Even bloggers who do include a call to action at the end of their articles often miss the mark by not being clear or direct enough in communicating the desired action.
Your call to action needs to be clear, direct, and compelling. If you can include a special offer, even better. At first, using a strong call to action might feel uncomfortable, almost like handholding or overt salesmanship. However, if you believe in the value your business delivers to customers, you should be almost evangelical about ensuring your offers get seen and heard.
Types of Calls to Action For Blogs
KEY CONCEPT: How Many Calls to Action Is Too Many?
If you’re new to content marketing and conversion, you’ll be sensitive to “asking for the lead,” concerned about appearing too pushy or “salesy” on your website. This fear of over-promotion almost always leads to under-promotion. Although you look at your website often, scrutinizing every element and noticing every opt-in form, phone number, and social media widget, your audience does not. They’ll likely miss a great number of conversion and lead generation elements on your Web pages. This is why many of the top online marketers and large brands use multiple “conversion units” on every page. I recommend you use at least four conversion elements on each page of your site. The key is using different types to avoid over-promoting while still achieving a high conversion rate. For example, on one article page of your site, you could use the following conversion elements without pushing the envelope on usability:
In the example above, there are six potential actions the visitor could take, all working together without detracting from the high-value content itself. The key is that you measure conversions, paying attention to which pages and offers convert the best and changing your Web page layouts accordingly.
Use this stand out blog post template to jumpstart your content development efforts and produce more high-quality articles more quickly. Don’t view this template as “rudimentary”—this simple six-step approach to copywriting is used by some of the most popular sites and brands around. What matters most is that you publish something as soon as possible. As you start to earn your stripes in content development and blogging, you’ll surely expand your palate of article formats and customize them to your liking.
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