Your readers must be able to relate to your blog if you want them to stick around.

 

As a content writer, I love writing blogs. It provides an opportunity to showcase your inner wise owl by sharing knowledge while providing the chance to engage readers with your brand. However, it’s easy to get writer’s block or feel you’ve exhausted topics to death.

Getting new clients is hard enough without alienating those already interested in your brand. Keeping their attention is as important as finding new business. If there’s one thing in the life that’s true, it’s that audiences will go elsewhere if you don’t keep them hooked. Your blog is no exception, so if you’re losing readers, feeling dispassionate about the content you’re writing, or if you think you’ve evolved (but left your blog behind), read on.

Let’s take a look at how to breathe life into your posts.

Is your blog relevant?

It’s easy to get into the habit of just writing about random topics that come into your head, without thinking about who you’re writing for and the issues relevant to them. Are you still writing with your target market in mind? Have you addressed topics which are currently affecting them? You can even see what your audience are talking about in places such as Twitter, Reddit and Quora to give you some ideas. Your readers must be able to relate to your blog if you want them to stick around.

Have you showcased your products & services?

While blogs should be educational and based on your industry rather than selling yourself, this doesn’t mean you can’t relate some of the content to your own products or services. I follow my hair & beauty salon’s blog for example, and they do talk about hair trends, latest celebrity hairstyles etc. but they also highlight when they have a new great service coming in, pictures of recent cuts they’ve done, and they even promote their upcoming offers. Bloggers often worry about selling themselves and their services, but an honest post saying ‘Hey – we know everyone is broke in January, so we’re offering 50% off all our services if you book now’ is just a great way of letting customers into your world.

Are you sharing your blog?

If you’re not sharing your blog on your social media pages, start! It can open up your posts to a whole new audience, and you can gage from likes, shares and comments what your readers are thinking. You can also repurpose your articles and send them as part of your email marketing campaigns, especially if you’re tying them in to a particular project or offer. Also, make sure you have sharing buttons on your blog posts to allow others to share them too. There are many different social media platforms you can use, so go where your audience is to make an impact.

Is there enough of you in your posts?

While you should always put the reader at the heart of everything you do, don’t be afraid to show a little personality. It helps your audience to engage and really get your brand – which is especially important if they will be working closely with you! It’s also okay to share your opinion. As an expert, it can be interesting to let readers know your take on something or give them your own advice. Stamp your authority on your blog and don’t be afraid to be different.

If you’re trying to build trust and credibility with your clients, a great piece is to do a ‘day in the life of’ segment which can also be a great opportunity to highlight some of your products or services, photos of your premises or even just to tell them a bit more about yourself.  Another blog post that readers enjoy (and one I plan to write about Castle Writing), is admitting your faults. What mistakes have you made? What have you learnt on your business journey? Don’t be afraid to show the more human side of your business as it will help audiences to connect.

Vary your blog style

If you feel ground to a halt in the creative department, why not try something else other than writing? A blog post can just as easily be an infographic, interview with an industry figure, video or even an audio series. It’s a great way to breathe life into your blog posts and grab the attention of your audience.

Have you only focused on general or niche blog posts?

While it’s great to really push your niche, try expanding out a little. You may want to talk about some changes in your industry and show that you understand how these may affect your readers. Or if you feel you’ve only done general posts, why not take some of the concepts mentioned and do a whole blog post on them. Take this post for example, we could take the idea above about doing an audio series and get down into the nitty-gritty about the easiest ways to go about this. Position yourselves as an authority by showcasing your expertise.

Bring in a new voice

Consider bringing in some new voices to your blog. It’ll not only save you time and give you a breather but will give a fresh take on ideas. This could be another team member, guest bloggers or even outsource your content to someone else. If you still want to have a lot of input into your blog, you can always ask a content writer to interview you, or give them an audio on some of the aspects you’d like to cover in each post. It can also be great to get another viewpoint into your world, and your blog shouldn’t be afraid to show opposing opinions. This is especially useful if you find it difficult to write or can’t find the time to post on a regular basis.

Writing doesn’t have to be boring, so add a little life into your posts to give your blog a revamp.

Here at Castle Writing, we write blog posts for clients who need fresh & original content.

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