Anatomy of an Irresistible Blog Post

Aug 2014

Anatomy of an Irresistible Blog Post “Why is it that some blog posts generate a ton of traffic and social conversation, while others just sit there?”

A very good question, and one that bloggers have been posing since the dawn of the blogosphere. While there’s no single magic formula for an irresistible blog post, a good blogger knows that certain elements must be in place to bring his or her creation to life.

The Brain: SEO

Remember, your blog is a key asset in your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, so make sure those all-important keywords are present and strategically placed in the title and the body copy.

There are quite a few handy plugins, like Yoast, that will evaluate your post as you write it and let you know of any SEO keyword gaps that need to be filled.

The Heart: A Personal Touch

If we’re all out there trying to be “capital-P professional” in every blog post, we’re all going to sound exactly the same. Each post is an opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level, to show them a little piece of your own heart.

If you’ve seen author Simon Sinek’s TEDx talk, you’ll be familiar with his axiom “People don’t buy what you do — they buy why you do it.” Keep that in mind as you craft each blog post. Make sure that everything you publish carries with it a little bit of the “why” behind what you do.

The Arms: Embracing the Audience

All content has to start with the audience — their interests, their desires, the things that keep them up at night, the things that make them laugh, their hopes and dreams for the future.

Forget this fact and you’ll be one lonely blogger.

The Hands: Giving the Good Stuff

A generous blogger is a successful blogger — in more ways than one. Don’t give your readers the same tired old tips they can get anywhere else. Dig deep and share quality, value-based content that can make their jobs or their lives easier.

The Legs: Going the Distance

Sure, posting about current events is important, but make sure to balance those timely posts with “evergreen” content that represents you well no matter when a visitor is reading it.

The Feet: Standing Strong

Your values are an integral part of who you are, and sharing those values will help build a bond between you and your audience. Make sure they know what you hold dear, what you’re passionate about, what you’d be willing to stick your neck out for. They’ll respect you all the more for it.

What are your top elements for an irresistible blog post? Let us know in the comments — we’d love to hear from you!

Photo Credit: aldoaldoz via Compfight cc

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About the Author

A self-described geek who can recite entire episodes of South Park by heart, Rachel Parker has had a passion for content ever since she was old enough to hold a crayon (purple, please).

As Founder and CEO of Resonance, Rachel helps businesses publish content that connects with their audience … and converts those followers into customers. She’s also the host of the Content Marketing Podcast and a sought-after speaker, having presented to many major business and marketing organizations. Contact Rachel about speaking to your group or
business.

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Working with Rachel was a delight. Not only does she communicate very well, but she provided valuable insight about our social media platforms and followers. We have much better engagement with our fans and followers, which increased our likes and interaction rates.
Increased website traffic, New Lead Generation

We were experiencing a lack of internal resources to consistently maintain the Ustream blog. So we turned to Resonance Content Marketing to write blog posts on current industry topics while maintaining a consistent tone with the brand. The result is increased website traffic, new lead generation from gated assets on blog, and better educated/qualified leads. And I now have more time to spend on marketing strategy with the confidence that the content we push out is extremely well written and engaging.

Rachel is an amazing writer and has really managed to create engaging and relevant blog material on topics that aren’t always super interesting. On many occasions, she has been able to quickly turn around one-off requests and the results are always top-notch. She has also helped guide our content strategy based on her expertise in content marketing, which has been a huge asset to our team.
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Rachel took the overwhelm and stress out of writing content for my marketing campaign! When I approached Rachel, I was really concerned that I wouldn’t have the time to focus on writing copy for a lengthy marketing campaign that included sales pages, solo emails, newsletters and social media updates. Well, let’s just say I’m glad I hired Rachel because I couldn’t have done it without her support and expertise. I loved how she used my voice and words to craft content that helped me reach and attract my ideal client. As a result of working with Rachel, I added 5 figures to my business in less than 4 weeks, hundreds of new social media followers and exceeded my sales and list building goals! You know your marketing copy is working when you hear someone say, “I see you everywhere”. Thank you Rachel for helping me not only get seen by my ideal clients but get paid!
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Rachel worked with me on creating a content marketing calendar and content for the Big Social Media Summit (Big SMS) three years in a row. She is very organized and knows just the right amount of posts on social, email newsletters and content to send. Her content marketing efforts helping us sell out our event three years in a row! I am expecting the same for October 2014.

Rachel was hired to write content for our email newsletter and content for our social platforms. In addition, she had a budget to do advertising on social media. She participated in the event live and after the fact to assure buzz was created before, during and after the event. As a result, our event sold out.

When I work with Rachel, I have total peace of mind. I know that she is on target, on time, reliable and delivers over and above the results I expect.

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I just didn’t seem to be able to find the time or the right words to explain what I offer and how my company helps people accomplish their goals. Rachel was able to ask me some questions, do some research and capture my voice while writing my website copy exactly as I needed it to be written. Now, the copy on my website is much more professional than what I would have created and having this task handled by Rachel and Resonance freed up my time to complete other tasks I am better suited to do.

It was a joy to work with Rachel. Her professionalism and sincere desire to help was apparent from the first communication until the final delivery. I will definitely use Resonance again and highly recommend their services.
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Form.io needed someone who could grasp the complexities of our product, capture the subtlety of our differentiating value propositions, and convey them in the right voice for an exacting customer audience…. Resonance delivered, by crafting a multi-faceted online content marketing strategy that drove traffic and conversion, producing the ROI result we were looking for….
One of the best “vendor” relationships I’ve ever had.

My company had little or no time to spend on social media. Our needs were to ensure a steady stream of posts across three platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) by harvesting and re-purposing content from our own site and news streams. So I contacted Rachel Parker of Resonance Content Marketing.

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Our social media is active, promoted, and is ranking better than ever! People often comment about what they see on our Facebook page. Resonance has added a creative, and artistic twist to our social media that is appealing and captivating to our audience. This has allowed me more time to work with my team and clients, so I can focus on service towards the people that help our business grow.

I know there will be wonderful content on Facebook, and that Rachel will answer to posts, comments and questions as soon as a comment arrives. I am often impressed at how quickly she responds! Thank you Resonance! I highly endorse Resonance and encourage companies who need social media strategies to work with Resonance! You won’t regret it!