Content Marketing: How to write a successful blog article?

Content Marketing requires a number of skills, but writing still remains one of the pillars of this exercise. And editorial isn’t easy. What’s worse, we are not all the same when faced with a blank sheet of paper or a computer keyboard. For some the words come effortlessly, for others there is resistance to writing. It’s not easy to deliver copy that’s enjoyable to read. Whether it’s a blog post, an ebook, a report of some kind, or a simple email, your writing will freeze a certain image of you in your reader’s subconscious. How to write a relevant blog post? I offer you these few tips to appear to your advantage in all your written communications.

1-Don’t try to appear too smart

This is one of the flaws that disconnects the reader from what they are reading. When the style becomes too heavy, when the stylistic turns take on more importance than the content, when a certain word is placed solely to make you appear more erudite, you lose your reader. Writing an effective blog post requires simplicity.

“If it feels like writing, then I rewrite” – Elmore Leonard

Furthermore, most of the time, your words lose their effectiveness, finding themselves drowned in pompous molasses. How to write a relevant blog post? Always try to simplify, to go back to the origins. Here are some rules to follow:

• Eliminate overly complicated words : If you want to communicate effectively, you will have to reduce the distance with your readers. Sometimes we tend to use language that weakens the connection with the reader. If you want to impress your audience, do it with the information you convey, not with fancy words.
• Avoid jargon: As much as possible. Obviously we cannot ban all the vocabulary related to our profession, especially SEO. For my part, I have a simple rule: I keep in mind the type of reader my article is aimed at. If I am addressing beginners I avoid acronyms and technical terms, or I take the time to explain them.
• Master the words you use : Okay, I’ll be honest, it happens to all of us. One day or another, orally or in writing, we get lost with a word that we think we know well. If you have the slightest doubt, don’t hesitate to resort to the good old dictionary.

2-Choose the subject carefully

This remains the heart of your content. Take the time to study what your audience needs. Your articles must bring something to your readers, they must be able to improve their lives for a moment or for a long time. For this, there is no secret, you need to know your audience and I will explain how to do it in this article on personas.

I often say it in these pages, the important thing is to put your prospect at the center of the writing process. Try to imagine a specific person in front of you and write for him. Eventually, it will happen that you won’t know what to talk about. Again, I wrote an article on how to do content marketing when you have nothing to say.

3-Write with a goal

Content Marketing isn’t just about blogging. Many, in fact, get lost in writing and sometimes produce excellent content without ever triggering conversions (leads to customers). For your content to be quality, it must have a clear, but above all identifiable objective for your reader.

How do you want to reach your audience? What do you want to activate after reading your content:

• a deed of purchase,
• an emotion or a reflection,
• subscribing to a newsletter,
• a download,
• a share or a following on social networks?

If you want your reader to take action following an article, you will have to arouse an emotion, awaken a desire or push them to surpass themselves. It must go beyond the intellect. Emotions trigger action! If you are addressing entrepreneurs, encourage them, make them want to go further. If your readers are budding gardeners, create the desire and desire to be better, etc.

Before writing a blog post, take the time to ask yourself this question: What reaction do you want to produce or what action do you want to encourage?

4-Respect the rules

Of course, spelling and grammar must be impeccable. In any case, as much as possible. To do this, read yourself again and don’t hesitate to use software like Antidote which does a great job. There may be some errors from time to time, you will of course be forgiven but make sure they are virtually non-existent. Today the online media, even the main newspapers, allow themselves many deviations and you will certainly find some of them in my articles (sometimes I find them a few months later). Differentiate yourself by showing your seriousness also in this aspect of your content.

Here are some writing tips that might help you on a daily basis:

• Vary your transition words : The French language is rich and each of these transition words has its own particularity. Using them wisely can make reading more enjoyable. As there is no space in this article to list them all, I found this PDF file which includes several of them and provides their specifications.
• Skillfully sounds relative pronouns (which, which, which, whose, etc.) : They are a trap for many, both orally and in writing. Often abused, they interrupt reading. Let’s use Whichetc. after a preposition other than From (up, down, with, in, for, to, from, etc.) We use from whichetc. with a prepositional phrase (near, away from, next to, within, etc.) we use to whometc. when the verb of the relative clause is constructed with the preposition ha. Obviously don’t forget to contract: à +Quelle =Quelle, À +Quelle =Quelle, À +Quelle =Quelle
• Avoid the exclamation point : In any case, don’t always use it and above all never double it!! Just one exclamation point is enough, even to express the tiredness of exclamation points!
• Delete the parts your readers won’t read : Not the easiest thing to do. In fact, all readers tend to skim some parts to get to the point. Are you still there?
• Use the active voice : At the same time, I don’t see how we could do it differently in a blog post, but you never know. This just makes your style very pompous. If you’re starting to write a novel, why not, if it’s a blog post, forget it.
• Use bulleted or numbered lists: You don’t read an article on paper the same way you read it on screen. In addition to making reading flow more smoothly and holding the reader’s attention, lists also help us be more concise. However, remember to keep the same construction for each item in the list. If the first three begin with a verb, don’t use a noun or adjective in the fourth. This interrupts the pace of reading.

5-Write catchy titles

The title of your article is the first thing your readers see. It must be concise and attractive, respecting some rules to work in terms of SEO. Remember, readers will not always see the title of your article on your site, where it will certainly be well highlighted, in the right font, etc. Most of the time they will see it through a search engine, a post on social networks or in an RSS feed.

Be concise, four to ten words are enough. If you are too long you risk the title not appearing in full in search engine results or on social media. Be careful of puns that can create SEO problems if they are too convoluted. If you can and it makes sense, put your keywords at the beginning of the title. If the title appears truncated, essential information will be visible. For example, it is better to use “Personal Branding: Free Webinar” rather than “Free Personal Branding Webinar Conference.”

Conclusion

Beyond the technical aspect, here’s how to write a blog article that will be read: write from the heart ! This may seem a little trivial but it’s a reality. I talked above about the ability to touch the emotions of your readers. We get there only when we ourselves are interested in our topic. Be passionate and your readers will feel it.

And how do you manage your writing for the web? What advice would you give to a beginning writer? What software do you use to help you with this task?