Simple Tips to Produce Engaging Blogs that Convert

Want to know why you need to be writing engaging blogs? 

Well…

People don’t like boring things. They especially don’t like to be left feeling dissatisfied after taking the time to read an entire article. And blogs that are unengaging and uninspiring will do just that! Instead, make it your mission to write engaging blogs that show people how passionate you are about whatever it is you’re creating content about. 

After all, that’s the type of content people like to engage with, and like the saying goes, you’ve got to give the people what they want! When you do this, customers will have no choice but to keep coming back for more

So, if you’re thinking about starting a blog for your business, here are six ways to write engaging blogs that will speak to and inspire your target audience. 

Tips for Creating Engaging Blogs

1. Figure out who your ideal customer is

Fully understanding who wants to buy from you can make or break your marketing strategy. 

Say you own a private jet company, but you’re posting on social platforms like TikTok where mostly teens hangout. How far do you think these marketing efforts will get you? Truth is, not very far. 

So, how do you figure out exactly who you should be writing engaging blogs for? Simple, create buyer personas to give you as best of an idea as possible. 

Buyer personas are super specific and fictional representations of your ideal customers. Creating personas helps you get into the mindset of what they (the consumer) would like to see from you (the marketer). In the end, you can market and sell more successfully since you now have an idea of what your target audience wants and needs. This way, you’re not wasting time and money trying to sell a private jet to a 17 year old. 

P.S. this private jet scenario was just a joke, if you thought this sounded like a reasonable marketing strategy please call us immediately, you need marketing help.

2. Create an outline

Everyone has their own method of writing. Some people start the writing process by brain dumping onto one page, while others like to start with the middle paragraphs first and then make their way back to the intro. 

Either way, creating an outline will help you get from point A, the introduction, to point C, the conclusion, seamlessly. Without an outline, you might completely bypass point B, what your reader actually came for, and end up at point Z — a point your reader never even wanted to be taken to. If your blog is all over the place and confusing to understand, it won’t be very engaging, so use an outline and stay on track with your writing!

3. Research, research, research

Research trends, ideas, news, and everything else revolving around your topic. You should sound like an expert in your topic (even if you’re not). 

As a digital marketing agency, our content creators write copy for a variety of businesses; from luxury real estate to medical specialists and even large environmental companies. Because of this, we’ve done so much research (and have taken the time to understand every detail of our clients and their target audiences) that writing content for what may look like a difficult topic becomes second nature. We are able to produce valuable content that is jam-packed with all sorts of helpful tips because we’ve taken the time to do our research on the topics we’re writing about. 

You should have a similar level of knowledge in order to write engaging blogs! Otherwise, if you don’t have valuable info to share (because you simply don’t know much), chances are the blog won’t be insightful or interesting to read. 

Here’s a really good tip when it comes to researching a topic: Google similar headlines to see what other blogs have written about. Of course don’t copy what they do, but monitoring your competition is a great way to stay ahead and know what to write about. Plus, analyzing blogs that are already performing well on Google is key to SEO optimization and outranking your competition!

4. Give ‘em the ol’ razzle dazzle!

What we’re basically saying is always add in some personality! Your brand personality is what makes you recognizable to consumers, and is an important element in creating brand connection and loyalty. 

If one doesn’t already exist, create a voice for your brand and make sure anyone who is creating content for your business has that voice nailed down. The tone in which you write, the words you use, and the topics you cover are all part of your brand’s personality. It’s also how you will show consumers why they should choose to spend their money and time with your company.  

5. Now edit, edit, edit

So, you’ve written all your thoughts and research down, and organized it all into digestible chunks with a great intro and ending. From here, edit your writing so that more people will want to read your content. If editing immediately after you’re done writing seems overwhelming, take a break.  Come back in an hour — or a day — whatever you have time for, and return refreshed with a new perspective to edit efficiently. 

Once you get back to your writing, this is where you will really begin the editing process. No matter how amazing your engaging blogs are at first glance, you still need to go back and reread them. You might find that your blog isn’t as perfect as you originally thought it was. Maybe there’s some gaps in your story, a wonky sentence that needs to be reworded, or you completely forgot to include an entire section, internal linking, hierarchy, etc. Take the time to edit your post a couple times through. Trust us, you will be so glad you went back and checked it before publishing! 

Pro tip: Read your post out loud during the final edit. Hearing what you’ve written will help you to pinpoint areas that you may have missed during your initial edits!

6. Add SEO to everything you do

If you are trying to sell anything online, you should be including on-page SEO in every bit of content you write. No matter how good you are at writing engaging blogs, poorly executed SEO will prevent anyone from ever seeing it. But don’t worry, once you have a basic understanding of what SEO is and how to use it to your advantage, it’s (somewhat) simple! 

You don’t need to be an expert, just be sure to optimize content by using keywords correctly, adding internal and external links throughout your blogs, writing long-form content, and so on. Not only will you be producing engaging blogs, but you’ll be getting it in front of more people to enjoy and, ultimately, convert! If you can’t figure out the trick to getting your SEO optimized, consider hiring a marketing agency (like us) to improve your SEO for you. 

Setting the Stage for Engaging Blogs

Blogs are just one piece of the marketing puzzle. Your blog posts and website must be ready to convert leads and turn customers into loyal fans. This is why content you’ve worked so hard to create deserves a beautiful stage to be presented on! A well-designed website can elevate your content in the eyes of a reader and encourage them to spend more time on your website in general. Don’t let good blogs go to waste with a bad website! 

We specialize in Website Design to build you a site with high impact. We understand the importance of creating engaging blogs, ranking for SEO, and a good user experience — but we want to show you why it matters, too. Providing you the tools and resources you need to go out there and be successful is what we strive to do. 

Discover how to drive more traffic, leads, and conversions through your website by downloading our free guide, The 25 Website Must-Haves for Driving Traffic. You will learn what your website needs to leave a lasting impression and boost lead generation. 

This blog was originally published February 2018 and was refreshed May 2020.