This post is by ProBlogger subject matter expert Ali Luke
Over the past few years, Iβve conducted a lot of blog reviews for fellow writers. Itβs always great fun to read other peopleβs posts β¦ especially when theyβre on topics that are totally new to me!
Along the way, though, Iβve noticed that there are five critical elements that far too many bloggers miss out of their posts.
Could your posts be missing any of these too?
They are:
1.Β Β Β Β The Hook
2.Β Β Β Β Subheadings
3.Β Β Β Β Transitions
4.Β Β Β Β Links
5.Β Β Β Β The Conclusion
#1: The Hook
Iβve never seen a blog post that didnβt have an introduction. Iβve seen plenty of posts, though, that had over-long introductions without a hook: a compelling reason for the reader to keep going.
Hereβs an example of a good hook, from Laney Galliganβs post 5 Ways You Can Use Facebook Groups to Benefit Your Blog:
Thatβs right, more than 1 billion people are using Facebook groups. Thatβs where the conversation and community is happening and itβs something you can easily create for your blog.
Laney makes the benefits clear (Facebook is where βthe conversation and community is happeningβ) and also makes an implicit promise that this post will teach the reader how to βeasily create [that] for your blogβ.
The first few sentences of your post, too, need to convince the reader that your post is worth their time.
#2: Subheadings
VeryΒ short blog posts (say, under 400 words) donβt need subheadings. Anything longer, though, can normally benefit from being broken into sections.
If your post is missing subheadings, itβs easy for the reader to get lost midway. Β When that happens, chances are, theyβll stop reading. Subheadings help because they act like signposts: they tell the reader where they are and whatβs coming next.
For more help with subheadings, check out my podcast for ProBlogger,Β How to Use Subheadings to Add Structure to Your Blog Posts.
#3: Transitions
A transition is like a little bridge from one thought to another. Sometimes, you donβt need a transition at all (a subheading can essentially serve the same purpose). If your post feels disjointed or abrupt in places, though, you may need to add in a quick transition.
Often, a transition is helpful before any major new section of your post. They can also be used to introduce lists.
Here are some examples, from Nicole Averyβs postΒ How to Reduce Your Time on Social Media to Increase Your Blogging ProductivityΒ βΒ you might want to read the whole post to see how these work in context:
There are two different ways that I see social media impact bloggersβ productivity negatively.
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How does this behaviour on social media impact their productivity? It impacts it in three key ways:
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It doesnβt mean that you canβt be on social media, it just means you need to take a more planned and proactive approach to how you go about it. Here are two actions you can take to help you:
#4: Links
While itβs not absolutely essentialΒ for your post to contain links, itβs almost always a good idea to include at least one. Both internal links (to your own blog) and external links (to other websites) matter.
- Links to past posts on your blog help readers dig in β¦ and stick around.
- Links to posts on other peopleβs blogs position you as someone helpful and knowledgeable.
- Links to your products or services help you make more sales.
- Β Links to books on Amazon can bring in affiliate income β and also make you look helpful and well informed.
Itβs often appropriate to include links throughout your post, usually to give more information about a particular point. If you quote someone or give an example, you should provide a link too.
Sometimes, you might not have many opportunities to link within a post (or you may not want to distract readers β e.g. in a how-to post): if thatβs the case, you could include some βfurther readingβ or βwhere next?β suggestions at the end.
#5: The Conclusion
Of all the missing elements, this is probably the one that seems to get left off the most! If you finish your post too suddenly, though, it not only seems weirdly abrupt to readers β¦ it robs you of a great chance to direct their next actions.
There are several ways to tackle the conclusion: personally, I think itβs good to sum up briefly (if only in a sentence), and to give a βcall to actionβ. You can find out more about those in the ProBlogger podcast episodeΒ How to Write a Post That Contains a Call to Action.
Hereβs an example of a conclusion that encourages the reader to take action based on the content β this is from Colin Grayβs postΒ How to Get Your First Podcast Sponsorship:
If youβre looking to dip your toe in the waters, but sponsoring your blog is a step too far, then try your podcast. Build a relationship there and who knows, it might lead to your blog, your video channel, your social media.
If that gives you the time and the space to spend time on the content you love, offering more and more value to your readers, then itβs worth an ad spot or two. Give it a shot!
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When youβre busy writing a blog post, it can be difficult to think about everything you need to include β¦ youβre probably hurrying just to get all your ideas down.
As you edit, though, use these five critical elements as a checklist: make sure youβve included each one β or that youβve got a very good reason not to!
Which of these five elements do you find yourself inadvertently missing out? How could you include it in your next post? Share your thoughts or tips with us in the comments!
