I remember that thrilling moment when I published my first blog post. Back then, I thought that blogging was easy: you write a post, publish it, and get lots of clicks and hundreds of comments and shares. Now, when I look at my younger, less-experienced self, I see how innocent and, at the same time, how naive I was.
Blogging is not easy. Blogging is craft. Just like you can’t paint a picture without knowing what colours to use and how to blend them, you can’t write blog posts without knowing how to write titles people click, introductions with a hook or what words to edit out of your blog posts.
Today I’m going to provide you with 7 articles that every beginner blogger should read to write content that is engaging, gets lots of clicks, shares and comments.
Shall we begin?
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Should I add videos, pictures and tables to my post?
Writing a blog post is like baking a cake. Can you bake a tasty cake if you don’t know anything about baking and if you have no recipe? No, you can’t. By the same token, you won’t write a blog post that will engage your readers if you don’t know how to structure it.
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What title should my post have?
Would you click a post which title is, “Working At Home”? Not really, right? It’s dull, too general and unappealing. What about this title, “20 Mindblowing Facts About Working At Home That No One Will Tell You”? Now, that’s a better title! In order to make sure people click your post, learn how to write catchy titles. Without them, even the best articles will not be clicked and read.
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What should I write in the introduction?
“Hi, my name is Emily and today I’ll explain you what makes a good introduction. As you know very well, introductions are very important, so you should not underestimate them…” How boring, isn’t it? Let’s try again, “Did you know that 70% of people read posts for 15 seconds? Let’s make sure they read your post longer than that, shall we?” Now, tell me, is writing irresistible introductions vital? Remember, no one will read your post from top to bottom if you don’t engage them from the very beginning.
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I have no blog post ideas. Help!
Right, you’ve already written about the importance of going out, how to deal with depression and why should everyone have a pet. What else is there to write about? What topics haven’t you covered, yet? Hmmm… Coming up with new topic ideas can take you hours and bring a headache. Thus, learn how to generate blog post ideas fast and without effort.
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This sentence sounds strange.
“Today we’ll discuss 10 things you shouldn’t write in your article. Every very clever blogger edits them out of their blog posts. If you do the same, it might help you get more readers.” Would you feel encouraged to read the rest of this article? Not really, I’d say. Let’s eliminate all weak words, “Today we’ll discuss 10 mistakes writers make while writing blog posts. Every brilliant blogger edits them out of their blog posts. If you do the same, it will help you get more readers.” How about now? Better, right? Thus, learn which words you shouldn’t use when writing your blog posts.
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Is 600 words enough?
If you check authority websites, you’ll notice that some of them publish articles that have less than 800 words, some prefer longer, 1200-word pieces, and others, like Neil Patel’s website, write posts that have 3000 words or more. In order to learn how long your article should be, check the appropriate length of articles according to industry.
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Why hasn’t anyone noticed I published a new post?
If you don’t promote your content, it won’t go viral. Writing a perfect blog post and publishing it is only half of success. The other half lies in building your audience so as to get traffic to your blog. Thus, learn how to promote your blog posts and receive 1k+ shares.
Final thoughts
The seven articles I suggested you to read won’t make you a great blogger. Greatness comes with time and experience. Thus, you need to practice. However, those articles will help you understand what blogging means and how to blog properly. This is the first step towards success.
So, take that step today! Make yourself a cup of coffee, sit down, read and learn.
by Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson is a blogger and a content strategist at OmniPapers. She is also a contributor to many websites about career advice, productivity, work issues, blogging, and writing. You can always find more works of hers on Twitter.
If you want to learn how to blog and write for social media, join us for The Complete Blogging Course.