How to write a blog post like a pro

Writing a blog post requires expertise. It is not for nothing that professional writers exist. On the other hand, anyone can learn to master this exercise. Here's everything you need to know to write the best content possible. Structure, writing... On your keyboards!

You publish articles on your blog, but you get... tinkers.

Your audience is not taking off, your bounce rate is increasing, the reading time does not exceed 30 seconds. It's frustrating and infuriating.

The cause? Surely your SEO, but also your article itself.

It is not well written, it is not interesting, it does not convince.

Writing an article is not an easy exercise. It is not enough to write a text hastily and publish it.

In this article, I am going to give you all the keys to writing quality content.

And believe my experience: over the past six years, I have written no less than 3,000 articles!

Ready? Follow the guide.

Important! Note that this is a question of pure copywriting, to master the basics. If this is already the case, find our article on SEO writing: how to write optimized articles.

Before you write your blog post

Identify and understand your target audience

First and foremost, you need to ask yourself this question: “Who am I talking to? ”

I keep saying it, but content that doesn't speak to the right person will never work.

Would you explain the benefits of bananas to someone who is allergic to bananas? No. It doesn't make sense.

So you need to clearly identify your target audience.

An article for a persona

To do this, refer to your personas. We saw it in a previous article:

👉 Persona: what is it and how do you define it?

Defining your personas will allow you to better understand your target : Who is she? What are its problems? Its obstacles, its expectations, its objectives, its pain points?

But also and above all to know how she expresses herself. It is the basis in copywriting!

Your words should touch her, and it is by using her vocabulary that you will succeed. Interviews, analysis of customer reviews, etc. I explain how to do it in my article on the Copywriting.

Identifying and understanding your personas will also allow you to find content ideas and thus to propose topics that will interest them.

Tips. Do not hesitate to use tools like Answer The Public (my darling). Based on your keyword, it indicates the queries made by Internet users.

Remember this rule: your blog post should be aimed at a specific persona.

Structuring your article: the inverted pyramid method

Once your audience and your topic are well defined, you need to write the plan, the structure of your article.

One method: the inverted pyramid.

This allows you to quickly capture the reader's attention.

The aim is to structure your ideas in descending order of importance.

Note that the inverted pyramid is not a mandatory structure.

You can also structure your article in “storytelling” mode.

You tell a story based on a fact, then you unfold your elements. It is also very impacting!

The structure of a blog post

The title

It's the first thing your reader reads.

So if you want to be read, you should write a catchy title.

It should be explicit and easy to understand.

Don't forget it: your title is your promise. It assures the reader that you will answer them.

This can be factual or interrogative (how, why). To encourage clicking, you can also play on emotion (humor, fear, etc.).

However, avoid puns and rhetorical effects. You are not Libé or Le Canard Enchained.

Also pay attention to the titles called “whore a click”. Your readers will be very disappointed. They will not maintain a good image of you, and will not read your future articles. Believe my experience!

Tips. Are you hesitating between several titles? If you focus a lot on your content, do an A/B Test on Facebook Ads (no need to spend a fortune), and assess the CTRs. You will quickly know which is the most attractive title.

Le Chapô

The capô is the small text placed just below your title. In a way, it's the synopsis of your article. It allows the reader to quickly become familiar with your content.

It can be:

• Informative. It answers the 5W's: Who, What, Where, Where, Why, and When (who, what, where, why and when). It is mainly used for news articles, but you can also use it for your content. Who: it's your target audience. You are using the “you.” What: it's your subject. Why: your reader's problem. Note: not all questions may be answered. Depends on your subject.
• Incentive. A call to action.
• Interrogative. You ask a question and you answer it very briefly.
• As a reminder. It recalls elements that have already been discussed. Example: another article previously written, a past fact, etc.

Take good care of your dog because it is the second thing that the user reads after your title. If it is not attractive, relevant, it will not continue reading.

Your capo should be short and simple (300 characters maximum). You can use it again for your meta description. And of course, it will need to understand your keywords.

It must also be perfectly identifiable. Use bold or colored to highlight it.

Advice. Write your capô last. Indeed, it is difficult to write a “summary” of a text without having written it.

The hook

These are the first lines of your article.

Your catchphrase should once again make the reader want to read on. So you have to hook him up, arouse his interest. It could be a personal anecdote, for example.

For this part, you can use A.I.D.A or P.A.S, two frameworks used in copywriting.

A.I.D.A Is the acronym for ACareful, IInterest, DDesire and AAction.

You captivate your reader's attention, you arouse their interest, their desire to know more, and you encourage them to read more by presenting the elements you will discuss in your article.

P.A.S signifies Problem (Problem), Ashake (shake), SLove (Resolve).

It's a bit more brutal than A.I.D.A., but incredibly effective.

Here, you describe your audience's problem, shake the knife in the wound by emphasizing that problem, and present your solution, which is your article.

The body of the article

This is where you will develop your subject.

A rule to remember: one section = one idea.

Develop only one idea per section, each should be autonomous and assimilable as such. And write down your ideas, as we saw with the inverted pyramid, in descending order of importance.

For your reader to be able to identify them well, use subtitles, bold headings.

On the Web, the majority of Internet users do not read the texts in full, they skim over them, browse them diagonally. Separating your ideas well will allow you to adapt to this “zapping” reading.

Short paragraphs

Likewise if you write short paragraphs. Your reader will be able to scan them quickly.

The shorter your paragraphs are, the more enjoyable your article will be to read. Nothing is more boring than reading long paving stones. It hurts the eyes, and above all, you quickly lose track.

Personally, I quickly skip articles with long paragraphs, without any spacing. Especially if I am on mobile.

To be noted. You can definitely write long articles. Google highly values them because the longer a visitor stays on your page, the more they will consider your content. The search engine will feel that it is authoritative in its field.

Visuals

In your article, do not hesitate to include visuals to dress and ventilate it.

However, be careful not to put too much. It will serve your text.

The reader will be drawn to your images and will not read your content.

Don't fall into the trap “I have to put images because you have to put pictures”. Above all, your illustrations should support your words.

Some rules of writing (copywriting)

Writing for your audience

When writing your article, keep in mind that you are not writing for yourself, but for your reader. Hence the importance of finding out about your audience in advance.

Use “You” most often.

If you abuse “We,” your reader won't feel concerned.

You are there to provide information to your reader, not to make yourself fooled.

To avoid rambling, I imagine talking to a certain Michel (hello if your name is Michel 😉).

Write short and concise sentences

Exit the big tirades. You are going to lose your reader.

Have simple language

Don't think you're Proust. Write as you speak, of course avoiding colloquial language.

Writing “slippery” text

In a previous article on copywriting, I told you about the “slippery slide,” a concept invented by copywriter Joseph Sugarman.

The principle is simple:

The first line of your text is so captivating...

That you read the second one. This one is so interesting...

That you read the third.

And so on.

You drag your reader, you “suck it in” thanks to your words.

The advantage of this method is twofold: it allows you to captivate your audience and to aerate your text.

Writing with your guts

Your writing is your weapon.

Use it to show your personality, your style. Readers will remember you and will easily come back to read you.

Do not hesitate to put a little “warmth” into your writing to establish proximity with your reader. Feeling closer to you, he will be more sensitive to your arguments and more likely to trust you.

Prefer the active voice to the passive voice

The active voice is much more dynamic.

Example:

“This pizza was made by Marine” (passive voice).

“Marine made this pizza” (active voice).

The end of the article

You are going to put in the minor information, and of course your CTA (Call To Action).

It must be well defined.

What do you want? Should your reader subscribe to your newsletter? That he leaves a comment? That he shares your article on social networks? Be very clear. And highlight your CTA (bold, color).

The end of the article is often sloppy. After hours of writing, we tend to overlook it. Don't make that mistake: it's the last thing your reader will read. You need to make a good impression.

If your article is very long, do not hesitate to do a quick summary in conclusion.

After writing your article

Check your spelling mistakes

Mistakes can discredit you.

So before publishing your article, read it carefully.

If you're not an expert at spelling, there are some tools that can help. Among them: Thank you App, Scribens and Antidote

For my part, I am old school. I use my two friends Robert and Bescherelle.

Read her article out loud

Another necessary step: read your article out loud.

It sounds a bit silly, but this exercise is very effective. You'll see right away if your content is smooth.

If you run into a few sentences, rewrite them.

Share your article

Do not hesitate to share your article with your colleagues and those around you. They will give you their opinion and perhaps point out areas for improvement.

Highlight key items in bold or color

Words in bold or colored appeal to the reader and direct their eyes to the information that precedes them.

Again, remember: Internet users are reading your article diagonally. Words in bold or in color will catch his eye.

In summary

Key points to remember:

• Define and know your target audience
• Structuring your article (inverted pyramid method)
• Write one idea per section
• Be simple
• “Sucking up” your player (the slippery slide)

Now you know how to write a blog post.

Of course the work is not done: you have to think about SEO!

Keywords, tags... Find our article on SEO writing: the guide to writing optimized articles.

You can read our other “papers” on the blog :

• The guide to creating a landing page that converts
• Copywriting: How to write content that converts