THREE KILLER QUESTIONS FOR BETTER BLOGS
What makes people read one blog over the next? Headlines and search terms can help. But that just buys you a click. If you want people to pick up on the point you’re making, you need to keep them hooked. You’re stealing two minutes of their time. So here’s how you leave them wanting more.
Who are you talking to?
This might seem obvious, but it’s surprising how often we write for ‘people who might buy our stuff’. Pencil portraits of ‘Jenny who catches the bus to her office job in town’ are not much more useful.
The value of tightly defining your audience is the ability to put yourself in your reader’s shoes and dig insight into what will be relevant to them, why the work will make a difference for them and how they’re most likely to consume it.
The who of this blog:
“Marketing types who have a minute between meetings and whip through stuff like this for handy tips and smiles. Most will skip the words above to scan the call outs for the good bits.”
What’s your story?
Again, obvious. But clarity is king here. 80% of your audience won’t read beyond your introduction. So start with your story to hook them in. And make it tight. If your story is longer than a sentence or two, it will likely deliver a wordy and confusing blog.
So, what kind of stories work? “Here’s some ways to get more from our stuff and why.” “Here’s someone who likes us and why”. “Here’s something you might want to think about and why”. If you haven’t picked it up, “and why” is the secret sauce.
The story of this blog:
“Share three simple questions to drive effectiveness from blogs. Because most people want their stuff to resonate with their readers and deliver some sales results.”
Why will anyone care?
This one is the kicker. Write it on a post-it and stick it the top of your screen. I have. The purpose of any communication is to communicate. But if no-one cares, they won’t read it. So you might as well not have bothered.
In the old days we talked about WIIFM (What’s in it for me?). Today we talk about bounce rates and engagement metrics and we forget the fundamental point of it all. If you don’t connect with your audience, they won’t think, feel or do what you want them to. Fail.
The WIFFM of this blog:
“That’s all pretty simple and obvious. I’m going to use those ideas next time I get caught up in writing more stuff, faster – it’ll help me write effective stuff, better.”
Asking the questions are easy. Answering them honestly is harder. But every blog I’ve ever written or read is anchored in the same three things. Who are you talking to? What’s your story? Why will anyone care?
And if you read this far, we nailed it.