17 Jul 2017
How to Come up with Blog Posts Your Client’s Audience Will Love
We have all been there: You put your heart and soul, not to mention your time, into creating some brilliant blog posts as a part of a project for your new client. You edit them until they are just right, sprinkling in some quality media content for good measure, only to receive a lackluster response from their audience.
The first few times this happened, I couldn’t really figure out why. The ideas were great and I put so much effort into developing them, with nothing to show for in the end
Eventually I lost the client. Why didn’t anyone want to read it?
The thing is, what may have been interesting to me might not have appealed to my client’s blog audience very much. And that is one of the crucial problems of every blogger and an essential component of every blog’s success.
Not only should you be able to create high-quality content and promote the hell out of it, but you must figure out what your client’s audience might like. If you can’t do that, all that hard work will not pay off.
I have put together a list of 5 things you can do to remedy that issue. Keep on reading for more details.
1. Analysis of the Best Performing Posts
Something I have figured out about writing successful blog posts is the fact that you may have had the right recipe all along. If you’ve already created at least one blog post that has been a hit with your client’s audience, you obviously have what it takes.
The tricky part is analyzing why that particular post was so successful…
Fortunately for us, there are some wonderful tools in the shape of BuzzSumo and Ahrefs Content Explorer that can help you spot posts which performed the best among your client’s target audience.
BuzzSumo is especially useful in finding the most popular blog topics, as it calculates the total number of shares your posts have received across all your client’s social media platforms.
You may also see results over a certain time period or consider a particular type of content, language, or geographic location, which is a very good indicator of audience engagement.
2. Insights from Your Competition
Another clever approach would be to check out what your competitors are doing – especially those in the same niche as your client – and therefore targeting the same kind of audience as them. Again, I recommend using BuzzSumo in order to peek over the fence and identify their most successful posts, not just your own.
This works especially well if they are doing better than your client’s blog at the moment, because you can always use their work as the basis for your next hit post.
Find ways to improve upon their work and identify certain gaps and topics they haven’t covered yet, but which might be pain points for your client’s audience.
This audience is practically just waiting for a solution to be written and published by someone. Make sure that someone is you.
3. Staying in the Loop
Joseph Medina, a freelance writer and a blogger at BestDissertation.com writing service, shares his experience about the importance of keeping track of what’s going on in the blogosphere:
“Sometimes, it’s simply not about the quality of your ideas or solving a particular problem your client’s audience has, but about what’s currently hot in the industry. People love stuff that is trending, and there is no going around that. So, instead of trying to beat everyone all the time, simply join them, and be the best at it, while at the same time keeping your client’s audience interested and satisfied. It’s simple: when you go to a concert of your favorite band, you expect them to play the hits, right? Well, sometimes you have to do that in blogging”.
Of course, it’s all about finding the right keywords and topics that are trending, and again, this is where BuzzSumo and Ahrefs Content Explorer come to the rescue. They can help you determine which keywords have been trending over a particular time period, including the past 24 hours, once week, month, or a year.
4. Getting Input from Your Client’s Audience
It’s also essential to nurture a good relationship with your client’s audience, and that includes responding to user comments and appreciating their feedback.
If you are having trouble identifying their needs, simply ask them what their problems are and write about the solutions in your next post. You can also increase their engagement by putting a survey or a quiz on your website or social media account, and gather valuable insight that way.
After that, you can rest assured that your efforts won’t go unnoticed by your client’s readers. Meet their needs and they will respond accordingly.
In addition, interactive elements such as the comment sections, quizzes, or surveys will keep your readers on your client’s website for longer, making them more likely to come across some of your less popular posts in the process.
5. Listening to What Influencers Have to Say
One of the most effective marketing strategies these days is influencer marketing, and for good reason, as they are able to identify the needs of the audience and properly address them at the same time.
Getting on their good side can launch your client’s blog post well into the stratosphere, especially if you can get them to leave a comment or a quote inside your article.
But before you can do that, you need to narrow down the list of influencers that might help your client’s cause. For that I would recommend using tools like Followerwonk and Buzzstream Discovery tool, which can identify all the major players based on keywords which reflect your client’s niche and areas of interest.
Back to You
These five essential elements are what you need to consistently come up with engaging blog post ideas that are relevant, engaging, and appealing to your client’s audience.
I invite you to test them out in the field and experience their many benefits. Also, please share your insights and your most successful strategies with us in the comments section below.
Good luck!
20 Jul 2017
7 Killer Tips to Make Your Content More Fun and Engaging
Bored to Tears? Here’s the Cure
Remember when published content often felt rigid and dry back in the 1990s and early 2000s? This was mainly an attempt to keep things strictly professional, as the internet wasn’t quite as social as it is today.
Then, slowly but surely, content publishers realized they weren’t writing articles for humorless robots. Thank baby Jesus.
This has gradually led to a more casual approach, particularly among personal blogs and even many high-profile brands.
It’s no wonder publishers have started to make their articles pop in creative ways; publishing content is not just about spreading knowledge, but also keeping readers highly engaged in the process.
This brings me to today’s topic: How to make your content much more fun and relatable.
This article is ideal for:
Let’s get started!
1. Use a Rating System
A rating system allows you and/or readers to “score” published content as a way of providing feedback and increasing interaction.
This largely depends on what type of content your blog publishes, such as product reviews or a comparison post.
For example, many writers enjoy exploring freelance platforms such as Fiverr, TextBroker, among others. If you’re in the habit of reviewing such places, an attractive rating system will likely complement and even strengthen your article.
Likewise, let’s say you have an extensive Q&A page on your blog dedicated to answering tough freelance questions. A rating system would allow users to ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ your answers and help you tweak them depending on overall feedback.
It’s little things like these that subtly make your content more engaging and fun, even if results are not immediately noticeable.
Rating plugins for your WordPress blog include:
GD Rating System
WP Post Ratings
Rating Widget
2. Gamify Your Blog
Gamification refers to the implementation of game-like features and other interactive goodies.
For instance, readers may gain badges and points simply for interacting on your website in different ways. Interactions may include registering to your blog, logging in, posting an article, sharing it online, commenting, and much more.
Gamification can get very complex depending on your creative juices. Let’s say, for example, that you create multiple “levels” for blog commenters:
Level 1: Commenting Newborn
Level 2: Toddler
Level 3: Chatty-Kathy
Level 4: Word Master
People would reach each level after achieving a set amount of comments (set by you). Once someone reaches a high level, you could then reward them with an Amazon gift card or anything of your choice to acknowledge their contributions.
This naturally makes your content more fun, and satisfied visitors could share your blog with friends as a result.
Many websites, such as Reddit.com, use a “Karma” system where users gain points merely for posting and commenting.
This seemingly painless action has many of them hooked for no apparent reason….. But guess what? It works, and users keep aiming for a higher score.
List of gamification plugins for WordPress include:
WordPoints
WPAchievements
myCRED
The above section actually deserves its own article someday, and could serve as one of many effective blogging tips to find success.
3. Leverage the Power of GIFs
Have you ever wanted to make your blog more fun without relying exclusively on written content?
Even if you don’t use them often, consider the power of good old-fashioned GIFs.
Let’s say you run an entertainment blog based on anything pop culture.
Let’s also say you often post humorous and upbeat content for your audience.
Of course the occasional GIF would be tremendously ideal in this case, if you know where to fit it.
Much like Emojis/Emoticons, GIFs used to be all the rage in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Now they have made a gigantic comeback thanks to easier online communication. We have phone texting, Facebook, and advanced discussion forums, which has led people to try and get their message across in witty and fun ways…
As a blogger, you should embrace animated GIFs by including them in your articles and even on newsletters – especially if they’re humorous.
These natural attention-grabbers can remind your audience that you’re a fun, down-to-earth human being… just like them.
Are you publishing a highly positive article? Then don’t be afraid to use something like this:
via GIPHY
Giphy
GIF-Finder
ReactionGIFS
And while we’re at it…
4. Be Naturally Humorous
Have you noticed how the average commercial tends to rely on humor?
Well, there’s a reason for it: Humor is one of the oldest, most powerful marketing techniques in existence.
And it’s safe to say that everyone loves a good laugh, so it’s always a match made in heaven.
Tips:
I’d like to emphasize “naturally” humorous here, as there’s nothing more obvious than someone trying too hard. Show your funny bone as long as the situation calls for it (you’ll instinctively know when).
You don’t always have to come up with your own humor. Quoting the occasional line from a known comedian works wonders.
Speaking of which…
5. Bring Your Post to Life with Quotes
Here’s are some ideas you could use for your posts:
Start *every article* with a heartfelt quote:
Imagine you had a fitness blog, and every single article starts with a kickass, health-related or otherwise motivational quote.
This could eventually become your “signature” — in other words, this is what you are known for. Many regular readers would be delighted to click on your article and be met with today’s witty quote.
Make references to famous people… and their quotes:
We tend to idolize/admire/respect known figures, even in subtle ways. For example, who doesn’t have at least *some* kind of respect for the late Maya Angelou or Nelson Mandela? Even if said respect is casual or minor, it’s still very much there.
Using known quotes from well-liked figures will often make your piece more relatable and emotional, thus making your content more fun to read.
Recommended steps:
It’s much easier to stick to this habit when the job is only done once (in this case, finding them all in one sitting). Don’t forget to give credit and keep Fair Use in mind.
6. Embed a Survey
Surveys can make a traditional article more interactive and help readers feel involved. It’s almost like a small, fun quiz where there’s no wrong answer.
These are particularly welcome when you’re looking to spark a conversation or when gathering data, depending on your niche subject.
An entertainment blog could simply ask, “What cancelled TV show should make a comeback?”
A freelance writing blog may ask, “What’s your biggest tip for finding an awesome client?”
Ideal survey plugins and services include:
Questions (plugin)
Google Forms (Service)
Survey Monkey (Service)
How often should you embed a survey in your posts?
That depends on your niche/audience. An pop culture site may post a weekly survey asking about the latest Game of Thrones or The Voice episode, for example.
7. Implement Easter Eggs
Easter eggs are hidden things designed to be found with the help of a close eye and an open mind.
So, how can you insert the occasional easter egg into your content?
Example #1:
You could have contests and giveaways by having readers go on a virtual scavenger hunt throughout your content. Anyone who finds a certain word or phrase (specified by you) gets to win the prize.
Do me a favor: Scroll up to the above section that talks about using GIFs and take a very good look at the first five lines.
Can you spot the hidden crossword?
You should see a very familiar word emerge (and you just won the prize!)
Example #2:
Let’s say you have a $29/month membership site. You could provide subtle clues to a specific question, which can be hidden within image names and other creative places. Those who find it get a major discount to your website.
Using easter eggs is perhaps my favorite of the bunch. And while this tactic probably wouldn’t be used frequently, it can make your content stand out and engage readers a little more in the long-run.
Your Turn
Creating fun-to-read content is both essential and highly effective, as it prompts more people to share it among friends and even come back for a second read. This leads to higher engagement, email marketing leads, and overall success from all angles.
Can you add other creative tips on making published content stick out like a sore thumb?