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May
18

5 Secrets to Create that ‘Must Read’ Blog Post

By | Blogging, Write Better, Writing

Mr. Cloud is reading puddings diary...You have 27 Blog Updates sitting in your Inbox or Reader.

You’ve finished your writing for the day so  it’s OK to have a browse.

  • Which one do you choose first?
  • What makes you click away in disappointment?

Let’s look at your blog post reading habits and learn from them.

Here are my 10 Secrets to Create that ‘Must Read’ Blog Post.

1.   Your Headline is Key.

OK, we all know this.

All the Blogging Superstars tell us this, time and time again.

But here’s the thing -

Do you listen to what they’re telling you?

Do you spend enough time working on your Headline?

Or do you want to get on with writing the post first?

I have come to realise the importance of giving almost as much time to my HL as I do to the post. (Well, I did say almost.)

2.   Solve a problem.

When I write for WBB, I try to think about the problems that concerned me when I started blogging.

So many… enough ideas for a million posts.

I get excited when I see a post which promises to solve a problem for me.

Someone out there is ‘on my side’, knows how it feels to be unsure, offers to stand in my shoes.

This is what you must try to do for your readers, whatever your niche might be.

You must try to solve a problem

3.   Keep your promise.

Focus on the promise you made in your HL and only on that.

Don’t disappoint your reader by writing off track, off the point.

If you haven’t started to solve their problem in the first paragraph or so, as you promised, guess what?

Off they’ll fly.

4.  Reveal yourself.

In my ‘other blog ‘ I try to help people with confidence issues, making decisions, facing fears.

I always use my personal and coaching experiences to illustrate my points.  I want my readers to know that I do know how they feel. I don’t simply quote theories, I start by putting myself in their situation. I empathise.

When you’re writing to solve a problem, it’s vital that your readers can trust you to tell the truth, to show you have some experiences to bring to their situation.

5.   Offer your best for free.

By this I mean -

  • your best writing
  • your best guidance
  • your best ‘friendship’
  • your best examples
  • your best contacts
  • your best links
  • your best understanding

If you do,

they’ll smile, they’ll Tweet your work, they’ll consider subscribing, they’ll link to your blog ,

but most important of all, they won’t fly away.

Your turn!

In the comments, share a secret you’ve found to create that must ‘Read Blog’ post.

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About Linda Hewett

Linda blogs at Positive Spin Blog where she provides Practical Confidence Solutions. She is a qualified Confidence Coach and has experienced many Confidence Issues herself, so she is able to empathise with her readers and help them to solve their problems.

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Comments

  1. Elizabeth Jackson says:
    November 14, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    You are actually right here that writing headlines are very important thing first to consider and implement in order to create a must read blog post. I use to write headlines but I fail so many times so I always tried my best.
    Elizabeth Jackson recently posted..Credit Cards For Bad Credit UKMy Profile

  2. Debt Consolidation Loans Australia says:
    November 12, 2011 at 4:19 am

    Thanks for shared over here the secrets of the blog. Yes, I am agree with you. According to me, everyone should read the blogs because we can get the good information and knowledge.

  3. Report Templates says:
    September 30, 2011 at 6:57 am

    Nice secrets here about making the post interesting.

  4. kingsley says:
    August 11, 2011 at 10:50 am

    I use an enticing image to create that “must read blog”. When you use a call to action “pictures”, then your visitor might chose to relax to read your post.

  5. PC Prima says:
    May 23, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    Hi Linda,

    I really like what you say about ‘revealing yourself’ in blog posts. I think it’s so important that readers feel as though they’re reading posts from someone they feel they can relate to. Going along with this, I think it’s important that bloggers bring a ‘human element’ to their writing. The same, of course, could be said for social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, too. Your blog, as well as your social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, among others, should reveal your unique personality to your followers.

    -Petra
    PC Prima recently posted..PC-Prima- Eine Geschichte von PCPrima Erfahrungen- wie man durch Leistungsoptimierung des PCs effektiver arbeiten kann- http-tco-klT85NkMy Profile

    • Linda
      Twitter:
      says:
      May 27, 2011 at 12:16 pm

      Hi Petra,
      Sorry to be late with this, don’t know how it happened!
      The human element makes all the difference, doesn’t it? It’s all about making those valuable connections and that’s one of the reasons I love blogging.
      I try to write almost without thinking sometimes so it’s ‘me’ talking.
      Thanks for reading and commenting.
      Linda recently posted..How To Play Nice- Even When You’re GrumpyMy Profile

  6. ery
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 23, 2011 at 9:16 am

    Hey Linda
    I agree with you. Headline is the most important thing to consider. By creating good, attractive and appropriate headline, it makes visitors curious and want to read. Thanks for sharing

    Regards
    Ery
    ery recently posted..Things You Should Know About B2b Email MarketingMy Profile

  7. Openxcell Inc says:
    May 23, 2011 at 8:30 am

    I don’t have much idea about must read blog. I want to know what is the advantage of must read blog? Thanks for sharing.

  8. George Williams says:
    May 20, 2011 at 4:54 pm

    Hello,

    There are a lot of secrets for creating a ‘must read’ blog post. Those 5 secrets mentioned here are the most important of them. It was a pleasure to read this. Thanks for sharing!

    George
    George Williams recently posted..Tractors PowerMy Profile

  9. Jason Mitchev says:
    May 20, 2011 at 8:24 am

    Wow, this is quite an extensive list! Thank you we are just starting with our blogging efforts as overall marketing strategy and this information is definitely something we can try implementing in our work.

    So what is more important in title? SEO or Branding?
    It’s a bit confusing with multiple people stating different things…
    Jason Mitchev recently posted..VA Beach Dentist- Choosing Virginia Beach Dentist GuideMy Profile

  10. SUSAN says:
    May 19, 2011 at 5:50 am

    Headline is really the key. First things first. I extremely agree on this. Creating a catchy headline gives me a pass into the “must read” blog. I want to have that headline that will create an impact once read. If i don’t get to give a catchy and creative headline i don’t think i will be able to entice them. So this will be my first target into creating a “must read” blog. Nice article you have here. The tips are really awesome.
    SUSAN recently posted..8 Tips on Exciting and Effective Dates- Make Your Partner Love You Even More!My Profile

  11. SUSAN says:
    May 19, 2011 at 5:44 am

    :)

  12. The Bad Blogger says:
    May 19, 2011 at 3:22 am

    To me, I personally believe the headline is the most important of all. Although whenever I write a post, I never write the headline first.
    The reason for not writing a headline is because I usually spend about 20 minutes to come up with the best headline.So how much time you spend for a headline?
    The Bad Blogger recently posted..Top 10 Bloggers that Rock the Blogging World!My Profile

  13. Dennis Edell says:
    May 18, 2011 at 10:28 pm

    The title is very important, as long as it is true to the content.

    I’ve seen way too many bait and switch moves, and readers aren’t putting up with it nearly as much as they used to.
    Dennis Edell recently posted..How To Refund Domain NamesMy Profile

  14. William Tha Great
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 18, 2011 at 9:28 pm

    Generally, coming up with a creative headline isn’t too complicated. It’s just that people rush the process and don’t give themselves enough time to come up with something creative.

    When you come up with new content you should always give your very best. You want your content to spread as much as possible. Great content has a special way of doing that all by itself.

    God bless,
    William Veasley
    William Tha Great recently posted..Are You Winning The RaceMy Profile

  15. Atul says:
    May 18, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Well I am always impressed with catchy headlines and sometime visit such topic too , which are not related to me. Headlined and can grab reader attentions and once he is one your page then rest of the content writing skills and information will decide his stay duration on your web page.
    Atul recently posted..Illustrator Tutorials Series – Drawing Cartoon Characters in IllustratorMy Profile

  16. Holly Jahangiri says:
    May 18, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    An excellent article, Linda.

    I do think sometimes it’s best to go ahead and write the post first, THEN craft the headline. If nothing just pops out at me, that will usually give me ideas. Sometimes, I have to go back and forth – I start out with a headline, write the post, refine the headline, edit the post, then finalize the headline. (And being the contrarian that I am, I don’t often worry about what the “experts” told me; I listen, I consider, and then – admittedly – I often go off and ignore everything they’ve said. But that’s MY issue – your advice, and theirs, is generally sound.)
    Holly Jahangiri recently posted..Happy Hump Day- Team H2W2B2!My Profile

  17. Steve says:
    May 18, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Linda,

    Writing headlines is definitely an art, but something that i agree people should really work at getting better at.

    It really is important that titles be both something that grabs interest AND gives a solid idea what the article is about.
    Steve recently posted..22 Quick Tasks that Increase Internet IncomeMy Profile

  18. waterpearls says:
    May 18, 2011 at 8:42 am

    Hi Linda,
    It is a very nice and informative post.Thanks for sharing your secrets to create that must read blog post.Solving problems and keep promises are very important.
    waterpearls recently posted..UK2 Voucher CodeMy Profile

  19. Paul Salmon
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 18, 2011 at 8:32 am

    I’m not the best at writing headlines, but I am good at solving a problem. Many of my posts tend to provide a solution to a technical problem, and those posts are usually my best traffic generators.
    Paul Salmon recently posted..W3 Total Cache Prevented FeedBurner Feed from UpdatingMy Profile

  20. Mia says:
    May 18, 2011 at 4:18 am

    I agree – headlines are a very important part of a post. If I don’t find the perfect title I can’t start writing, because the title needs to make a statement about my work.

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