5 expert tips for writing blog content that works
Five practical tips from voices like Neil Patel, Brian Clark, and Dave Larson on writing blogs that pull organic traffic and convert.
Writing a blog that pulls organic traffic and turns readers into clients isn't magic. It's method. Here are five tips from experts who've been doing it right for years — plus our own take after 18 years in the trenches with web projects.
1. Mine your audience for ideas
Create blog posts that answer the most interesting questions from the people you interact with on social media. — Dave Larson, founder of @tweetsmarter
Your audience is already telling you what they want to read. They say it in their comments, their DMs, the FAQs hitting your inbox. Start there — not with a blank-page brainstorm.
2. Understand your audience better than they understand themselves
Understand your audience better than they understand themselves. It takes a lot of upfront research, and often means being a member of the same tribe you're trying to lead — but it's worth it. — Brian Clark, founder and CEO of Copyblogger
That means doing the homework before you write. Forums, Reddit, Facebook groups, YouTube comments. The exact words your customer uses to describe their problem are worth more than a thousand keywords.
3. Write for yourself first
Write for yourself first and foremost. Ignore the fact that anyone else is going to read what you write; just focus on your thoughts, ideas, and opinions, and figure out how to put them into words. — Adii Pienaar, founder of PublicBeta
Authenticity wins SEO. Copy that sounds like a real human — with an opinion, with a voice — is what gets shared and what Google has started rewarding.
4. Build a strong call to action
Close every post with a clear call to action: subscribe to the newsletter, follow you on social, share the piece, or get in touch. Without a CTA, a blog is a soliloquy. With one, it's an acquisition channel.
5. Be consistent
Consistency in blogging on your site is one of the most important things bloggers tend to forget. It's much easier to lose your traffic than to grow it, so make sure you blog consistently. — Neil Patel, founder of KISSmetrics
A HubSpot study showed that consistency drives higher growth rates in subscribers and visitors. Better one solid post every two weeks for a year than ten posts in one month followed by silence.
What we see at RV3
After 18 years working alongside web projects, the blogs that work all share three traits: a real answer to a real user question, a clear human voice, and monthly consistency. The technical SEO comes after — and that's something we can handle for you.
Want a content strategy that's plugged into technical SEO and digital marketing? Let's talk.
Original source: Buffer — Blogging advice from 16 experts.