Ever dreamed of lying on the beach while earning tons of passive income? I did. I wanted to build my own business that generated thousands of dollars while I slept, partied, and traveled around the world. So, in 2015, my friends and I created a niche website to teach beginners how to breakdance. Sadly, we never made enough money to quit our jobs and move to paradise. But here’s the thing… Though we weren’t successful, the experience taught me a lot about how to build a niche website, market it, and monetize it. And combined with the knowledge I’ve gained working at Ahrefs, I now know the keys to success. In this post, I’m going to show you what I’ve learned: What I did right, what I did wrong, and what I would do differently if I created a new niche site today. We’ll start with a quick definition, followed by a few examples… What is a Niche Website?A niche website is a website that caters to a small segment of a large market by focusing on a common, specific interest. My website, BreakDance Decoded, was a niche website. It specifically targeted breakdancers, which is a small part of the much larger “dance” market. Other examples of niche sites are Mr. Money Mustache (focusing on saving and budgeting in the personal finance market) and Kopywriting Kourse (focusing on copywriting in the marketing/business market). There’s a common misconception that a niche website is a small site. This isn’t true. “Niche” refers to the segment of the market, not the size of the website. A site can be niche and still have thousands of pages covering a variety of topics related to the niche. Nerd Fitness is a niche website that writes about fitness for nerds. Even though it’s only targeting a specific type of persona, the site has hundreds of blog posts ranking for important keywords in Google. In general, a niche website is an information website. It either produces or sells information that solve problems (e.g. courses, ebooks, etc.). It may eventually pivot to other monetization models like e-commerce, but the core engine behind the site is information. Now that you know what a niche site is, let’s take a look at how you create one: How to Create a Niche Website in 2019 (Step-By-Step)1. Choose Your NicheFor many aspiring bloggers, niche selection is one of the most challenging dilemmas they face when starting a blog. They either have too many ideas, or — worse — they have no idea what kind of site they should build. It doesn’t help that there’s lots of contradictory advice out there: some people suggest you start with your passion, while others say you should choose a niche that’s profitable. How I Chose My NichePersonally, I started with my passion. Not counting my job, breakdancing was the activity I spent the most time doing. So, setting up a niche site that would educate people about breakdancing was a no-brainer for me. If you’re completely new to building a site and you just want to learn how things work, I would recommend you start with your passion. Why? Because growing a website is hard work. But if you’re creating content on a topic you’re passionate about, you’ll be able to find the motivation to persist on those days you feel like quitting. (And trust me, those days will be frequent.) How I Would Choose My Niche TodayToday, I would choose a profitable niche. What’s that? It’s a niche with a large audience that buys things. And that’s what you want: A market where people are buying, buying, and buying. While it was fun to write about breakdancing, it was a tough market to crack. When we started, there weren’t any other niche sites about breakdancing. Our competing sites were mostly e-commerce stores selling apparel for breakdancers. In hindsight, that should have been a warning sign. If there are no competitors in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), you should be concerned. Competitors = Viable Market Competition is healthy. It’s a sign the market is worth entering. It’s a sign there’s money to be made. We should have listened. To help you avoid the mistake we made, here are a couple tips to help you find profitable niches: Tip #1: Brainstorm + Snooping AroundSit down and brainstorm some niches you’re interested in pursuing. Then, do a quick Google search to see if there are any sites dedicated to them. You can search for “best [niche] blogs” to get started (e.g. “best breakdancing blogs”). And once you’ve found a few potential competitors in your niche, “snoop” around their site and see how they’re monetizing. If they have a variety of products, it could be a good niche. For example, let’s say I am interested in the paleo niche. A quick Google search for the “best paleo blogs” brings me to this site: Looking around, I can see Diane monetizes her site in a variety of ways:
Seems like a good niche! Tip #2: Browse Affiliate MarketplacesAlternatively, you can also look into affiliate networks like ClickBank and Amazon Associates. These are middlemen networks that connect bloggers and niche site owners with companies offering affiliate marketing opportunities. You have an audience, they have a product. Perfect match! Affiliate networks are ideal because:
Just go through them until you find products you’re interested in. Here’s an example: Right now, I’m learning Russian. So, I might be interested in starting a niche site about the Russian language. And lo and behold, ClickBank has a category for the Russian language. Cool! Unfortunately, there is only one product for sale in this category. That isn’t promising. If it was a profitable niche, there would probably be more options. However, when I click on “Languages”, I see lots of courses. And if I follow tip #1, searching for “best language hacking blogs” brings back a strong list of competitors, such as Fluent in 3 Months. So, “Russian” might be too niche. But “language” learning could be a niche worth pursuing. Key Takeaways
Further Reading
2. Setup Your SiteDone with niche selection? Great. Now it’s time to setup your site. There are four things you need when you first get started:
Now, don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy. I wasn’t great when I started too. I’ll be running through what each of them are, so you can get started fast. How I Setup My Site (and How I Would Do it Differently Today)See this? This is a domain. Think of your domain as the address to your house. A lot of beginners get stuck on this phase. They procrastinate, hoping to find a perfect domain name. The hard truth? There’s no such thing. For us, we wanted a domain that was memorable but self-explanatory. We wanted people to understand what the site was about immediately. That meant we needed the word “breakdance” in our domain. After brainstorming a few ideas, and consulting the thesaurus, we settled on breakdancedecoded.com. Don’t spend all your time deciding on the domain. Just make sure it is:
If you’re stuck, you can use a tool like Domain Name Brain to give you some ideas: Once you’re done deciding the name, check if it is available in a domain registrar like NameCheap (affiliate link) or Hover. Next: A Hosting ProviderTo have a house, you need to have the architecture to hold it. Your host is that architecture. A hosting provider allows your website to be accessible on the Internet. Since we weren’t technically-savvy, we followed a friend’s instruction and got our hosting from WPEngine. In hindsight, that wasn’t a good decision. WPEngine is great, but it is pretty costly for a beginner site that won’t get that much traffic. If you’re starting out, you probably won’t be getting very much traffic. So, it’s better to get a cheaper host. There are plenty of hosting providers out there. Take a look around. Smart Blogger recommends SiteGround (affiliate link), so they’re one option to consider. Editor’s Note:I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jon’s in-depth guide on web hosting. Before you choose a hosting provider, be sure to check out WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money. Content Management System (CMS)A content management system is an online tool that enables you to create and manage your content (e.g. blog posts). WordPress is the most popular CMS, but there are other alternatives too. Since we were using WPEngine, we turned to WordPress as our blogging platform. As you’ll see later on, the biggest traffic channel for a niche site will likely be Google. As such, you should choose a CMS that is SEO-friendly. Most search engine optimization (SEO) experts recommend WordPress, and it’s the CMS I recommend too. Editor’s Note:The steps for installing WordPress will depend on your hosting provide and your particular situation. But don’t worry. Chances are excellent our massive, step-by-guide on How to Install WordPress in 5 Minutes or Less will be able to walk you through the tricky parts. Once you’re done with the installation, you’ll need a theme. A theme is a template that defines the appearance of your site. (Think of it like the design of your house). For our theme, we chose Genesis. Genesis isn’t the best-looking theme around, but at the time we were looking for efficiency and ease of use. (Plus, we weren’t that great with design.) We also figured that we could upgrade to a better theme later on, if we got more successful. With its simplicity, Genesis was a great theme for us. If you’re more design-savvy, feel free to pick another theme. Smart Blogger recommends Elegant Themes (affiliate link), but you can also browse through the selections in ThemeForest. Once you’re done, install these two free plugins: If you want more WordPress plugins to install, check out this list of time savers. Key Takeaways
Further Reading
3. Do Topic ResearchYour foundation is set. It’s time to start getting traffic to your site. How I Did My Topic ResearchNow, at this point, most bloggers make the same mistake: They write about whatever tickles their fancy. I know because I did the same thing. I brainstormed topics I thought would resonate with my audience, and then I wrote about them. The only reason I got away with it was because I was a breakdancer writing to other breakdancers. I knew the topics that would interest my audience because I was a part of that audience. But if you’re working in a niche that is unfamiliar to you, you can’t just write about anything you want. Those topics won’t resonate and you won’t build an audience. Worse: Your content won’t rank in Google, which means no traffic will come to your site. How I Would Do My Topic Research TodayFor most niche sites, the best way to get traffic is SEO. SEO is an acquisition channel that will grow passively. As long as you are ranking well for the keywords you’re targeting, you will get passive traffic. Compare that with other channels. You could experiment with paid ads (for example, Facebook ads), but as soon as you stop the campaign or run out of money, your traffic dries up immediately. The same goes for social media. You have to either build up a large audience (difficult) or bank on viral hits (also difficult). And as soon as you stop tweeting and sharing, whatever traffic you were getting will disappear. Search engine traffic doesn’t stop. It keeps going. Even when you’re sleeping. If you want search traffic, you need to write about topics that people are searching for. In other words: You need to create content for topics with search traffic potential. In SEO parlance, this is known as keyword research. Here are a few ways you can do it: Use a Keyword Research ToolThe easiest way to get started is to use a keyword research tool. Enter any seed keywords related to your niche into a keyword research tool, and it will generate hundreds of different ideas you can target. For example, here’s a free keyword tool called AnswerThePublic: AnswerThePublic generates ideas for you based on different categories: questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabeticals, etc. There are plenty of other free tools out there, like:
Take your pick. One of the most important metrics SEOs look at when doing keyword research is search volume. Essentially, search volume is the amount of searches per month for a keyword. The problem with a free tool is that, while it’s free, it usually has either missing or incomplete data. As such, you might want to consider using a professional keyword tool like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer (affiliate link). You can access it using the Ahrefs’ $7 for 7-days trial. Enter a seed keyword into Keywords Explorer, and it will generate thousands of keyword ideas, plus all sorts of relevant SEO metrics: Here’s a quick explanation of everything you’re seeing in the above screenshot:
Lurk in CommunitiesThere are communities for every imaginable topic out there. Love the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine? There’s a subreddit for that. Enjoy discovering new products? Well, that’s how ProductHunt was formed. You name it, they have it. People gather in these communities to ask questions, discuss trending news, get recommendations, and so on. Translation: these communities offer a wealth of topics for your niche site. When we started, we hung out a lot on r/bboy, a subreddit for breakdancers. This was where we got our initial list of topics: You can do the same too. Do a search and find all the communities related to your niche. You can find them in places like:
And much more. To find out if these topics have search traffic potential, you can install the Chrome/Firefox extension Keywords Everywhere on your browser. You can also enter these topics into Keywords Explorer. Ahrefs will show you all the SEO metrics, plus suggest a better topic for you to target (“Parent Topic”). Figure Out What Your Competitors are Ranking forYour competitors have done the hard work for you. They’ve been blogging and ranking in Google. Your job? Borrow generously. Find out what’s working for them, and then replicate those topic ideas. Most sites feature their best-performing posts on their blogs, usually in a sidebar: You can easily see which keywords they’re optimizing for. For example, the post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer is obviously optimizing for the keyword “power words.” If you’re unsure, you can click through to the post. If they’re SEO-savvy, they would have optimized their URLs for the target keyword. Of course, the best way is to use a tool like Site Explorer. Enter your competitor’s domain into the tool and go to the “Top Pages” report, where you’ll see all the pages sending them the most search traffic: Key Takeaways
Further Reading
4. Create Your ContentJon Morrow is right:
If you want to rank in Google, build an audience and compete with others, you have to create epic content. You have to publish the best article ever written about those topics with search traffic potential. The posts have to be detailed. They have to be in-depth. They have to answer every single question about that topic. How I Created My ContentWhen we began our niche site, we were already huge fans of the detailed, long-form articles published by Smart Blogger and Backlinko. So, we sought to emulate them. We even published a 17,000-word article on how to get started with breakdancing. It was our most successful article, but it took us almost a month to write. You might be wondering:
Answer: you don’t. Publishing every day is a fool’s game. What you should do is to focus on quality, not quantity. If you have to publish less, so be it. Don’t sacrifice the depth of your article on some arbitrary content schedule. (For us, it was impossible to stick to a schedule, as we had full-time jobs.) You want to be known for the quality of your work — not how quickly you pump out new articles. That being said, what does it mean to create great content? When we started, all we knew was we needed to create something in-depth. We weren’t writers and had no blogging experience. In short, we had no way to measure and define “great content.” We just went with our instincts. Today, things are different. After reading and writing so many pieces of content, I can see which articles can be classified as great, and which can’t. How I Would Create My Content TodayI no longer need to rely on my instincts. I know what “great content” is and what it must embody. It needs the following three characteristics: Characteristic #1: QualityQuality is subjective, of course. How then do you know you’ve created something worth shouting about? In my experience, quality consists of three factors:
If the content you produce meets these three factors, it’s great content. Characteristic #2: UniquenessThere are thousands, if not millions, of articles published on similar topics each and every day. Why would someone choose your article over the others? The best way I’ve found to create unique content is to write from personal experience.
Pro Tip: This is how Smart Blogger became such a powerhouse in the blogging world. When Jon writes about blogging, it comes from his years of experience. When a guest author is invited to write about a topic, they’re chosen because they have had experience in those areas.
Characteristic #3: AuthorityDo you want to learn astrophysics from a Caltech physicist, or your next-door neighbor? Of course, it’s the Caltech physicist. (Unless, you once lived next to Richard Feynman.) Your readers are the same way. No matter the topic, they want to learn from an authoritative source. If you’re the expert, great! Carry on. But what if you aren’t? Get the experts to help you. Be the journalist. The scribe. There are plenty of experts with great knowledge, but insufficient ability to communicate that knowledge. You can be the go-between. Interview them. Curate their thoughts, research and expertise. You can even invite the expert to write an article for you. For example: Tim Ferriss. Tim doesn’t have expertise in every topic in the world, but he touches lots of topics. He does this by inviting experts to contribute to his books.
Pro Tip: This is also the reason why Smart Blogger succeeded when many failed. If Jon doesn’t have experience in something (e.g. Kindle Publishing), he doesn’t write the article. Instead, he invites someone with experience to do it.
If you read our epic guide to breakdancing, you’d see it checked all three aspects we just covered:
Key Takeaways
Further Reading
5. Promote Your ContentDo you want to know the greatest lie in the content marketing world? It’s this adage:
Nothing can be further from the truth. Think about it. According to the latest stats, there are 4 million blog posts published every single day. That’s a lot of noise. That also means there is an extremely low chance that somebody will randomly stumble upon your site. If you want traffic, you have to be proactive. You have to promote your content. You have to build links. How I Promoted My ContentWe focused on three promotion techniques: Technique #1: The “Eager Sneezers” TechniqueIn a post published in 2015, Bryan Harris shared how he started an email list from scratch and got 205 subscribers in 48 hours. The technique he used? “Eager Sneezers.” Ignoring the fancy name, it’s essentially reaching out to your friends and inviting them to join your email list. Bryan’s biggest takeaway was your friends want to help you (so let them). We used a variation of this idea to get our early traction. After publishing a post on breakdance music, we reached out to multiple friends to help share it. Fortunately, as we were breakdancers ourselves, we had a number of breakdancer friends who were more than happy to help: Technique #2: Community Content PromotionRemember the communities you joined earlier (where you were “lurking” for ideas)? They’re great for content promotion too. Here’s one example of what we did: Now, this is not an excuse for you to strut into someone else’s community and start spamming links to your content. Online communities exist for people to have meaningful conversations about a particular topic. Link spam defeats that purpose. Plus, you’ll likely get booted out of the group. The only reason I was able to promote my content in a group like this was because I was already an active member. I was participating in discussions, asking questions, and commenting. I knew what kind of content the community would appreciate, which was why I was able to share it. So, before you start dropping links to your content in a group, make sure you are active and understand the group’s rules. Technique #3: Outreach to People You’ve Mentioned in Your ContentIf you’ve written an epic piece of content, you’ve likely linked out to sources or quoted experts. Let them know! For example: In our post, we listed 157 songs a breakdancer must listen to. This meant 157 different people we could email. So, we did. And it resulted in one of the featured artists sharing our post on Facebook: How I Would Promote My Content TodayAccording to a survey of 1,117 bloggers, higher-income bloggers put more emphasis on promoting their content than lower-income bloggers. Translation: if you want to succeed, you have to keep on promoting your content. If I were to create a new niche website, I would add these content promotion strategies into my toolkit. Strategy #1: Outreach to People Who Published Articles on the Same TopicSince they’ve written on that topic before, there is a higher probability they’ll be interested in seeing your post. To find these people, simply enter the topic of your article (remember to try variations!) into Google. Collect the list of articles that appear in the SERPs. Then find their email address and reach out. Alternatively, you can use a tool like Ahrefs’ Content Explorer, a search engine for web content. Enter the topic into Content Explorer, do some filtering (like “English only”), and export the list. You now have a huge list of sites to reach out to. All that’s left is to write the email. Here are a few tips to help you write a compelling email:
You can also read this in-depth guide about blogger outreach. Strategy #2: Guest BloggingGuest blogging is a tactic where you write a post for another website (instead of yours). In exchange for your “free” article, the owner gives you:
Those are just the immediate benefits. Guest blogging also allows you to build relationships with influencers, or even grow your email list. The biggest challenge with guest blogging is finding blogs willing to accept your guest posts. To increase your chances of being accepted, look for sites that are already accepting guest posts. You can find these sites via Google search operators. Here are a few examples:
These sites usually have a “write for us” page, so all you have to do is to follow their instructions. You can also look for these opportunities in Content Explorer. The reasoning: if a blog has written about a topic before, there is an increased probability they would cover it again. Enter any word/phrase from your niche into Content Explorer. Check the “one article per domain” box to get a list of unique domains you can potentially write for: Some of these sites may not have an obvious “write for us” page. But, most blogs will accept a guest post if your pitch is good enough. Key Takeaways
6. Grow Your Email ListStudy the best sites in any niche, and you’ll notice one thing: They all build an email list. An email list is powerful because you can do almost anything with it. You could:
The possibilities are virtually endless. How I Built My Email ListBecause we were observing these huge sites, we understood the power of the email list very early on. In fact, we obsessed over collecting as many emails as possible. We tested all kinds of strategies on the site. Welcome Mats: Content Upgrades: We even turned our homepage into an email collection machine: How I Would Build My Email List TodayIn hindsight, we were too aggressive with our email collection. We were so concerned with the number of emails on our list, the quality of our list suffered. We should have focused on user experience and only placed email sign-up forms where relevant. Over the years, Jon and the rest of the Smart Blogger team have written tons of guides on email list building, so I won’t delve too deeply into this topic. You can check out the different resources here:
Key Takeaways
7. Experiment with MonetizationWhat’s the purpose of a niche site? To make money! As you start gaining traction on your site, and gaining a few subscribers, you can start to look into monetization. How I Monetized My SiteAt BreakDance Decoded, we experimented with a few different strategies. Strategy #1: PatreonPatreon is a membership platform where fans can “fund” content creators. You can create separate tiers on Patreon to reward different levels of loyalty. Back then, Patreon was a relatively new-ish platform. We saw that a few legitimate artists and creators were generating significant amounts of money on the platform, so we gave it a shot. This was our Patreon page: No matter how hard we marketed ourselves, the best we did was $50 per month on Patreon. That’s not to say Patreon doesn’t work. There are plenty of successful Patreon artists, like Kurzgesagt, who has over 12,000 patrons supporting his work: Your results may vary. Strategy #2: YouTube AdSenseIn addition to our website, we were also running a YouTube channel. So, we decided to see if we could make enough money from YouTube. Yes, we dreamed of being the next PewDiePie. These were our results: It was decent, but it wasn’t enough for a “passive income” source. Plus, our niche was too “specific”, so we probably didn’t generate enough views to make financial sense. Strategy #3: CoachingOne of Jon’s recommendations was to sell video or phone coaching as a quick way to monetize your site. We took it seriously. We sent an email to our list, telling them we were available for personal breakdance coaching. At the time, this was a relatively new concept to the niche, so we weren’t sure if it would work out. Surprisingly, someone took us up on it. Strategy #4: Online CoursesBy 2025, the e-learning industry will grow to about $325 billion in size. This probably explains why most popular blogs monetize via online courses. However, our biggest concern (back then) with an online course was the time and effort it took to create a great one. Plus, we weren’t sure if there were any demand for an online breakdance course. The notion of spending considerable time, effort, and money into creating a course no one wanted didn’t sound appealing. But after testing all the different strategies listed earlier, creating an online course seemed to be the most viable option. So, we decided to launch a MVP (Minimum Viable Product). We sent a survey to our email list, asking them for their #1 challenge. From there, we came up with a hook we thought would interest our audience:
While we waited for feedback, we created an outline for a potential 9-week course. Using the email hook and the outline, we crafted a 5-day email sequence modeled after Ramit Sethi’s successful launches. Not knowing what to charge, we decided on an arbitrary sales price of $37. For the test to be successful, we told ourselves that we needed at least 10 sales. As we weren’t technically savvy, we had no idea how to collect orders online. We also didn’t have money to invest in a shopping cart software. So, we kept it simple: We created a PayPal link. Then we activated the 5-day campaign by sending our subscribers a launch email. To our surprise, we actually managed to sign up 12 students. Our test was successful! The only issue? We now had to actually create the course. Once again, instead of investing in some complicated course software to launch it, we decided to do it the easy way: Facebook had just launched its “Live” feature and was heavily promoting it. We decided to use it. We created a closed Facebook group, sent an email to our 12 students, and invited them to join the group: Then we filmed each lesson by using Facebook’s Live feature. Besides some technical issues (like audio), we received rave reviews for our course. Takeaway: Don’t let perfectionism stop you from launching. People buy courses for the information, not the software you use or how perfect it looks. What I Would Do Differently TodayI wouldn’t change a thing. Online courses worked for me then, and it’s the monetization strategy I would use today. That said… Your results may vary. It’s a good idea to play around with different monetization methods to see what works best for you. Even if you find a cash cow, always be looking at different ways you can diversify your income stream. Otherwise, you’re asking for trouble. Nomadic Matt has a blog that receives 1 million visitors each month, but as shared in his interview on Noah Kagan Presents, if he had continued with the same business model he had when he started (i.e. selling links), his business would have been dead in the water by now. Key Takeaways
Further Reading
Are You Ready to Create a Profitable Niche Website?This wasn’t a case study about how successful I am or how many Lamborghinis I now own. It’s the opposite. My site wasn’t successful by any means. Instead of sipping mojitos at the beach, I’m still working out of an office. But that’s because I didn’t know then what I know now. Now I know better. Now I know what to do. And now so do you. It is possible to build a niche website and monetize it. So what are you waiting for? Paradise is waiting.
About the Author: Si Quan Ong works in marketing and customer success for Ahrefs, the SEO toolset that helps you grow your search traffic, research your competitors and dominate your niche. If not evident by now, he also breakdances on the side, and has a dream to visit 100 countries. Follow him on Twitter to learn more about his misadventures.
The post How to Build a Niche Website (Step-by-Step Case Study) appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/niche-website/
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Itâs almost too easy. By using sensory words to evoke sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell; smart and attractive writers just like you are able to make their words burst to life in their readersâ minds. In this post, youâll learn:
Letâs dive in.
The Colossal Power of Sensory DetailsRemember the final scene in Field of Dreams when Ray Kinsella has a catch with his dad? You can smell the grass on the field. You can hear the sound of the baseball hitting their gloves. And you can feel Rayâs years of guilt melting away as he closes his eyes, smiles, and tosses the ball back to his dad. (Be honest. Youâre crying right now, arenât you?) Field of Dreams made you feel like you were in Rayâs shoes, on his field, playing catch with dad. The scene creates such a vivid experience for many viewers that whenever they think of playing catch, this scene will come up alongside their own childhood memories. Hereâs why: When you paint a strong scene in your audienceâs mind, you make it easier for them to pull it back up from their memory. Youâve essentially bookmarked it for them so they can easily find it when something â a sight, a smell, a sound â reminds them of it. Thatâs the power of content that incorporates sensory details. And this power isnât limited to cinema classics capable of making grown men cry. For centuries, literary giants have been packing their prose with powerful words that evoke the senses:
In addition to The Bard, authors like Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens excel at sensory language. So do literally every famous poet you learned about in school. And that begs the obvious question⦠Why are Sensory Details so Effective?Short answer: Our brains handle sensory words differently than ordinary words. In a 2011 study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, experts found that our brains process âtangibleâ (i.e. sensory) words faster than other words. And in a study published for Brain and Language in 2012, psychologists found that a certain part of our brain is âactivatedâ when we read sensory words. In other words: So, we know why sensory details are powerful. And we know writers have been tapping into their power for a long, long time. Now letâs define them and go over a few examples: What are Sensory Words?Sensory words are descriptive words â using imagery, they describe how we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell the world around us. Letâs break each one down: #1. Sight Sensory WordsWords related to vision describe the appearance of something (its color, size, shape, and so on). Examples of visual words:
#2. Sound Sensory WordsWords related to hearing often describe the sound they make (known as onomatopoeia), but this isnât always the case. Examples of hearing words:
#3. Touch Sensory WordsTouch words describe the texture of how something feels. They can also describe emotional feelings. Examples of touch words:
#4. Taste Sensory WordsTaste words are interesting. Though they can describe food, theyâre often used in comparisons and metaphors. Examples of taste words:
#5. Smell Sensory WordsWords related to smell describe â yes, you guessed it â how things smell. Often underutilized, sensory words connected with smell can be very effective. Examples of smell words:
Note on Taste and Smell:Because theyâre closely related, some sensory words can be used for both taste and smell. Examples: fruity, minty, and tantalizing.
Sensory Details: Examples in the WildImagine the following headline came across your Twitter feed:
Would you click it? Better question⦠Could you read the headline without falling asleep? The answers are probably ânoâ and âheck no.â Now imagine you saw this headline: Much better, right? The simple addition of the sensory word âcringeworthyâ changes the tone of the entire headline. Instead of yawning, youâre thinking of an awkward or embarrassing moment you really donât want to relive. Letâs look at a few more modern-day examples of sharp people using sensory language to spruce up their content: Using Sensory Words in Author BiosIâll pick on me for this one. Hereâs the author bio I used for one of my first-ever guest posts:
Now look at the author bio my friend Henneke wrote for Writerâs Block: 27 Techniques to Overcome It Forever:
My bio is devoid of sensory words (or any interesting words at all, if weâre being honest). Hennekeâs is chock full of them. Her bio is interesting. Mine is boring. The lesson? Add at least one sensory word to your author bio. Using Sensory Words in Social Media ProfilesSome people opt for brevity when writing their social media profiles, and thatâs fine. But if you want your Twitter profile (or Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media profile) to stand out from the crowd, sprinkle in a sensory word or two. Like so: Mel Wicks is a veteran copywriter who knows a thing or two about the effectiveness of descriptive words, so she uses them to spice up her Twitter profile. Hereâs an example from my badly-neglected Instagram account: âEnchantingâ and âadorably-jubilantâ are wonderful sensory words â so wonderful, itâs a shame theyâre wasted on a profile no one sees. Look at your own profiles and see if thereâs a place to add a sensory word or two. Theyâll help your profile jump off the screen. Heck, see if you can use enchanting and adorably-jubilant. They deserve to be seen. Using Sensory Words in IntroductionsThe opening lines of your content are so important. If youâre a student, your opening sets the tone for your teacher (who we both know is dying to use his red pen). If youâre an author, your opening can be the difference between someone buying your book or putting it back on the shelf in favor of one of those Twilight books (probably). And if youâre a blogger, writer, content marketer, or business; your opening can hook the reader (increasing dwell time, which is great in Googleâs eyes) or send them scurrying for the âbackâ button. Itâs why we put such an emphasis on introductions here at Smart Blogger. Sometimes our openings hook you with a question. Sometimes we strike a note of empathy or (like this post) focus on searcher intent. And sometimes we give you a heaping helping of sensory words:
In the above opening for How to Become a Freelance Writer and Get Paid $200 â $1K per Post, Jon Morrow uses sensory language to set a scene for the reader. And itâs highly, highly effective. Using Sensory Words in Email Subject LinesLike you, your readers are flooded with emails. And with open rates in a steady decline, people are trying anything and everything to make their email subject lines stand out:
You name it, people are trying it. Want a simpler, far-more-effective way to help your emails stand out from the crowd? Add a sensory word. Brian Dean loves to include words like âboomâ in his subjects: The folks at AppSumo and Sumo (formerly SumoMe) regularly feature descriptive words in their subjects and headlines. Hereâs one example: And sensory language appears in most everything Henneke writes, including her subject lines. In this one she also uses an emoji related to her sensory word. Very clever: Now that weâve covered several examples, letâs dig a bit deeper⦠Letâs discuss some practical steps you can take that will make adding sensory language to your writing a breeze: How Descriptive Words Can Pack Your Writing With Sensory LanguageIf youâve taken a good English or writing class, youâve probably been told a time or two to âshow, donât tell.â This means you should create an engaging experience for your audience; not just tell them what you want them to know. You accomplish this by using descriptive language that conveys sensations and lets readers experience your words (rather than simply read them). And how do you do that, exactly? Ask yourself these five questions when youâre writing: #1. What Do You See?It isnât enough to tell your readers there was a scary house in your neighborhood when you were a child. Describe the house to them in vivid detail. What shade of gray was it? Were the doors boarded up? Precisely how many ghostly figures did you see staring at you from the upstairs bedroom windows, and how many are standing behind you right now? Paint a mental picture for your readers. #2. What Do You Hear?We listen to uptempo songs to push us through cardio workouts. Many of us listen to rainfall when weâre trying to sleep. Some of us listen to Justin Bieber when we want to punish our neighbors. Want to transplant readers into your literary world? Talk about the drip, drip, drip of the faucet. Mention the squeaking floors beneath your feet. Describe the awful music coming from your next-door-neighborâs house. #3. How Does it Feel?Touch sensory words can convey both tactile and emotional sensations. Can you describe to the reader how something feels when touched? Is it smooth or rough? Round or flat? Is it covered in goo or is it goo-less? Paint a picture for your reader so they can touch what youâre touching. The same goes for emotions. Help the reader feel what you (or your character) are feeling. Draw them in. #4. What Does it Taste Like?Does the beach air taste salty? Is the roaring fire so intense you can taste the smoke? Is the smell of your roommateâs tuna fish sandwich so strong you can taste it from across the room? Tell your audience. Be descriptive. Make them taste the fishiness. #5. How Does it Smell?It wasnât a basement you walked into â it was a musty, moldy basement. And you didnât simply enjoy your Momâs homemade lasagna. You inhaled the aromatic scents of sauce, cheese, and basil. Evoking the sense of smell is possibly the most effective way to pull readers out of their world and into yours. So when you sit down to write, ask yourself if itâs possible to describe how something smells. And if you can? Do it. The Massive Sensory Words List: 581 (and Counting) Descriptive Words to Supercharge Your WritingOnce youâve asked and answered the five questions above, your writing will be packed with sensory details. In time, youâll build up your own massive list of sensory words you can reference and sprinkle throughout your work. But in the meantime, hereâs my list. Bookmark them. Print them. Use them often:
Are You Ready to Unleash the Power of Sensory Words?Itâs time to say goodbye. Goodbye to lifeless words that sit on the page. Goodbye to indifferent readers ready to move on to something, anything, else. You now know why sensory details are so effective. You know how to sprinkle descriptive words throughout your content. And you now have a massive, ever-growing list of sensory words to bookmark and come back to again and again. Variations of the following quote have been attributed to everyone from Carl W. Buehner to Maya Angelou, but regardless of who said it, and how they said it, itâs true:
Itâs time to make your readers feel. Are you ready? Then letâs do this thing.
About the Author: When heâs not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is the Blog Editor and Social Media Manager for Smart Blogger.
The post 581 Sensory Words to Take Your Writing from Bland to Brilliant appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/sensory-words/ Here’s the thing: There are many tutorials that can teach you how to write a blog post. They can educate you on the mechanics of blogging, what to do, and what not to do. Read them and you can learn how to craft a perfectly serviceable blog post. Heck, you might even write something that wins you an adoring fan or two. But if you dream bigger, if you want to know how to write a blog post that cuts through the noise and wins you legions of fans, you need something better than a run-of-the-mill tutorial. You need an ultimate guide. In this post, this ultimate guide, we’ll share tips used by professional writers to create spellbinding posts that are adored by thousands. You’ll learn the secrets to crafting irresistible headlines, seducing introductions, captivating advice, and motivational closings. You’ll even learn how the pros refine and polish their posts once they’re finished writing them. These are secrets many bloggers would gladly pay real money to learn, but it won’t cost you a thing — other than a few minutes of your time. Let’s dive in.
Want Smart Blogger’s Ultimate Editing Checklist — a 22-point cheatsheet for polishing your post to perfection? Click here to download it for free.
Step #1. Craft a Headline That Readers Can’t ResistWant to know one of the biggest mistakes bloggers make? Writing the blog post before the headline. Without a headline, they have no roadmap to follow. And so their post goes in multiple directions, leaving readers feeling dizzy, confused and disoriented. And then they try to create a headline that embraces all that madness. Bloggers, have mercy! If you want to write a blog post full of clarity, conciseness and conviction, spend some time crafting a quality headline that sets a clear destination, lures readers in, and leaves them eager for your advice. Your headline will be your map, your writing navigation system, letting you know which literary roads to choose and which to avoid so that readers reach the intended destination as easily and efficiently as possible. Follow these 8 rules to craft your killer headline: Headline Rule #1. Pick a Mouth-Watering TopicWant your blog post to get opened? Then your headline must promise readers the very answer to whatever is tormenting them. The thing that keeps them up at night. Your headline should not promise them a trip to the moon and back — readers are way too swift for such shenanigans. Keep the benefit specific and narrow, and readers will feel compelled to click and get the solution to what’s bugging them. How do you find out what’s bugging your readers? Research:
You have one responsibility as a blogger — yup, just one. And that is to serve your audience. The better you know them, the better you serve. Before you know it, you’ll know them so intimately they’ll feel like you’re reading their minds, and your headlines will reflect that. Example:Let’s say you’re in the self-improvement space and you wrote the headline below:
This headline is so broad it’s unlikely to draw readers in. No one loses sleep over “wanting to create an amazing life.” They lose sleep over specific aspects of their lives that have left them unfulfilled. So you are better off narrowing in on something specific that’s bugging your readers, such as:
Narrowing in on something specific makes readers feel like you have the answers they’re looking for. Headline Rule #2. Steal from the ProsOkay, you’ve done your research and you know exactly what your readers need. Now it’s time to turn your topic into into a killer headline. The easiest way to master the art of writing headlines? Steal. Not in the unethical way. In the smart and efficient way. Decades of copywriting and advertising research have revealed the types of headlines that have proven to be successful. The types of headlines that zap readers out of their info-overload comas and compel them to open. Why mess with that research? If you want your headlines to grab readers, stick with what works. No, your headlines don’t need to sound like they came straight from BuzzFeed. They can reflect your voice and style. But until you’re as skilled a writer as Jon Morrow, let the proven templates be your guide (how do you think he got so good at writing headlines?). Blogging is hard enough, so if you have templates at your fingertips, why not use them? The easiest templates to start with? “How to” headlines and list post headlines. They are classics and they work. In fact, 75% of Smart Blogger’s most popular posts use these formats. Examples:Here are a number of Smart Blogger headlines that follow the “how to” and list post templates. “How to” Headlines:
List Post Headlines:
Note: You can download Jon’s free 52 Headline Hacks, where you’ll find more template options than you’ll ever need.
Headline Rule #3. Engage Your SensesVague headlines leave readers feeling empty. Tangible headlines leave them feeling understood. How to you create tangible headlines? Put yourself in the shoes of your reader. How do they feel? What do they see, taste, or smell? What do they hear? Engage all of your senses. The more your headline gives voice to their exact experience, the more they’ll feel like your post was written for them. Example:Let’s say you blog about health and wellness and you wrote a headline called:
This headline follows a proven list post formula, and it narrows in on something that’s bugging readers. All in all it’s not too bad, but it could be even more concrete. To step it up a notch, put yourselves in the shoes of your readers. Think about exactly what they’re experiencing. Perhaps that would lead you to the following:
If you suffer from migraines, there’s no way you could resist clicking such a headline. Headline Rule #4. Tease, Don’t SatisfyA common mistake you may not even realize you’re making? Giving away too much in your headlines. Your headlines should lure readers in like a literary temptress. They should catch readers’ attention and invoke their curiosity, not give a solution. Give a solution in your headline and readers feel no need to go any further — they’re bored by the very thought of your post. When this happens, not only do you lose but your readers lose as well, as they trade the richness of your post’s advice for the quick fix offered by the headline. Example:Let’s say you blog about personal finance and you write the headline below:
Sadly, readers will see this and think they’ve got all the advice they need — if they want to save for retirement, they must create a monthly budget. No need to read more. On the other hand, a possible revision could be:
For anyone living paycheck to paycheck, this headline would pique their curiosity. Nothing is given away, it speaks to an audience with a very specific problem, and it promises a solution they’d love to get their hands on. Headline Rule #5. Honor the Headline CommandmentWhen it comes to headlines, there is only one commandment you can never break: “Thou shalt not deceive.” This may seem obvious, but writers inadvertently do it all the time. How? They over-promise. Big no-no. The content of your post must fully deliver on exactly what the headline promises. If the post only delivers part of the solution, readers will feel misled and lose their trust in you. Let’s never do that to them, yes? Examples:Let’s say you write a post called:
But then the post only talks about following your dreams, which is really only one aspect of living a happy and peaceful life. Even though you didn’t intentionally deceive them, readers will feel shortchanged. Another example — perhaps you write a post called:
But then the fifth way contains no useful advice and instead leads to a sales page to get the solution … no bueno. Headline Rule #6. Trim the FatWant to overwhelm readers right from the start? Fill your headline with weak and flabby words. What are weak and flabby words? Empty, unnecessary words that add no real value. Instead, they create clunky phrasing and leave readers scratching their heads in confusion. The mistake many bloggers make is writing headlines the way they speak. While that’s okay when you write the post (to a certain extent), when you write headlines that way it waters them down. You want your headlines to be as ruthlessly concise and powerful as possible. So chop out weak words and throw in power words (if appropriate). Examples:Let’s say you draft the following headline:
There are just so many words! We can cut them down as follows:
We can then add some power to it:
Much better. Another Example:Here’s a mouthful:
My head is spinning. This can be cut down to:
We could even make it more tangible and powerful:
Nice and trim, but packs a punch. Headline Rule #7. Don’t Be a Smarty-PantsYour headline should make sense to all readers no matter where they’re coming from or in what context they’re approaching your post. They shouldn’t have to guess what the benefit is. After all, you’re supposed to be reading their minds, not the other way around. So you’ll want to avoid using metaphors (unless their meaning is painfully obvious), jargon, rhymes, made-up terms, or anything that tries to be overly clever or complicated when drafting your headlines. Examples:Where to begin with this one:
A headline like this tries to be too clever — readers don’t give two hoots about not acting sappy, obviously. Don’t prioritize cute tactics like rhyming over delivering clear benefits in your headlines.
A headline like this is also trying to be too clever. “Apple of Your Eye” is a common metaphor readers are likely familiar with, but there’s no concrete benefit being offered here. A headline must always contain a strong benefit, not a cute phrase.
No clue what this means … and I just wrote it. If there isn’t a singular and clear interpretation of what the headline’s benefit is, it’s trying too hard. So save the metaphors for the actual post where they will (hopefully) make more sense.
Perhaps you effectively explain in the post how people treat love like a captive animal, and it may make for a great analogy, but readers scanning headlines will have no clue why they should stop to read this, and so they likely won’t. Headline Rule #8. Rock Your StyleThe more consistent you are with your audience, the more trust they’ll feel for you. If you generally keep your headlines pretty simple and then suddenly write one jam-packed with power words, your readers will feel confused. The more you write, the more of a style you’ll develop. Once you determine what that style is, use it consistently (or make slow and gradual changes to it if necessary) so your audience learns and trusts your brand. Example:If most of your headlines read like this:
Then you might not want to suddenly write a headline that reads:
Your readers will think your blog got hacked! How to Write a Headline: Bonus TipWhen writing a headline, try crafting 5–10 different versions of the same headline. The more you play with the words, the better you will get at creating clear, concise and curiosity-invoking headlines that readers cannot resist. Editor’s Note:I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss a question we hear often:
Ever notice how some headlines in SERPs (search engine results pages) are truncated? It’s based on your headline’s width in pixels, but as a general rule: right round 60 characters Google will cut off your headline. Since a truncated headline can result in fewer people clicking your link in SERPs, it’s a common SEO practice to keep your headlines 60 characters or less. Of course, things are never that easy. In a recent study, Brian Dean of Backlinko found that longer (14-17 words) headlines generated more shares on social media than shorter headlines. (76.7% more social shares, to be exact.) As with all things, your mileage may vary.
Step #2. Write an Introduction That Grabs and SeducesYou’ve lured readers in with your headline. Now you’ve got to keep them. No easy task, my friend. Readers are fickle. Known to take a quick glance and then vanish from your online sanctuary, lickety-split! You must fight to keep them there, and the way you craft your introduction plays a huge role in their browsing commitment. Follow these rules to craft an introduction that captivates your readers: Introduction Rule #1. Slip into Their ShoesA common mistake that reeks of amateur blogging? Trying to sound too academic in your blog openings. You know, those posts that start like this:
Don’t get me wrong — as a lawyer, I value solid research. But in the blogging context, this approach bores readers. If you want to captivate instead of bore, you must make readers feel like you’re reading their minds. A powerful way to achieve this? Empathy. Step into their shoes and write from their perspective. Show them you understand exactly what they’re going through. After all, you likely struggled with the very topic you’re writing about and learned how to overcome it. We teach what we most wanted to learn, right? So show readers that you “get it.” You’re not some corporate slog, you’re in it with them, fighting the good fight and sharing the tools that brought you to the other side. Example:This introduction is a masterclass in empathy:
As writers, we all share the deep longing to embrace our calling and express our ideas, but we also share the fears that so often sabotage those longings — the fear that we don’t have what it takes, that we’ll crash and burn, and that our dreams are just that — dreams. In his introduction, Jon addresses all those longings and fears and immediately makes you feel like he gets you so intimately, it’s almost creepy. Creepy, but effective.
Note: You don’t need to open like this in every post. There are certainly other approaches, like telling a powerful story. But if you’re working on mastering your craft and getting the most impact for time invested, an empathetic opening is an approach you’ll want to use frequently.
Introduction Rule #2. Get into CharacterIf you want to captivate readers, you must trigger their emotions. So as you sit down to write, think of the feelings you want them to experience: Fear, anger, sadness, hope, joy, disgust, shame, comfort, love, courage, and so on. Then get into character and feel them yourself as you write, and your words will read with undeniable authenticity. When Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the heartbreaking lyrics in Hamilton that have left tears on the faces of millions, it was his eyes that first shed tears as he put his pen to paper. So play with your emotions. Map out the emotional journey you’re taking readers on, and infuse those feelings into your writing. Feel what you want your audience to feel and your words will exude those emotions. This tip applies to your whole post, but in no place is triggering your audience’s emotions more important than your introduction. You feel me? ? Example:I once wrote an emotional post about my two little girls which addressed how delicate their emotions are, as well as my own vulnerabilities and my longing to give them the patience, presence and love they deserve. Here’s a portion of it:
I felt that longing intensely and definitely shed some tears as I wrote the introduction. The feedback I got from readers was that they felt the same intensity, and even cried as well. When we write, our feelings seep into our words. Introduction Rule #3. Lure Readers Down the PageWant readers to commit to your post? Accelerate their experience. Lure them down the page. The faster they get pulled down, the more committed they’ll feel. Too many bumps in the road early on, and off track they go, never to return. Here are three copywriting tips to use in your intros to lure readers down the page: #1. Open With a Short Sentence or QuestionKind of like how I opened this section. ? This is how all of Smart Blogger’s posts open, and for good reason. It’s a copywriting technique proven to pull readers in. Start a post with a long clunky paragraph and they’ll feel exhausted just looking at it. #2. Take a Knife to Your WordsSlash as many words as possible. If the first draft of your introduction is 200 words, try cutting it down to 100. The more you practice this, the more efficient your writing becomes. And when you write efficiently, your words have power. That power will grab your readers. #3. Set the RhythmAll writing has a pace and rhythm. You want your introduction’s pace and beat to be somewhat quick. You can slow things down later. How do you achieve this?
The best writers, like the best music composers, take readers on a journey. Fast and slow, loud and soft, urgency and ease. The more you pay attention to this, the more rhythm you’ll infuse into your words. Example:Shane Arthur sends readers’ eyes flying down the page by using crisp sentences and short paragraphs to create a fast rhythm:
He then appropriately slows things down in the section that follows with longer sentences. A masterful composition! Introduction Rule #4. Make Them BegWant readers begging for your solutions? Add a little fear to your opening. What are readers worried about? Do they know what will happen if they don’t solve the problem the post is addressing? What is the worst-case scenario? Bring those fears to the surface. Expose them. By doing so, not only will readers feel a camaraderie with you (because you understand their fears, so clearly you’ve tip-toed through the dark side yourself), but they’ll feel more eager than ever for the solution you present. We all have fears. We think we need to hide them, but the more we give voice to them, the easier they are to set free. Do that for your readers. Example:In his introduction, Glen Long brilliantly taps into the fear of failure all writers experience by addressing the dream of making a living as a writer and then quickly smothering that dream with the doubts that creep up at the mere thought of it:
The fear of failure is painful, yes. But giving voice to it is validating and makes readers eager for the solutions that will set that fear free. Introduction Rule #5. Hint at the Promised LandFinally, as you wrap up your intro, hint at the promised land. The place readers will get to when they master your methods. The destination your post promises to take them. But whatever you do, do not give it all away. Just one sentence that says too much satisfies your readers enough to send them clicking away. Why? Because readers bore easily. You must keep them on their toes. And the point of an introduction is not to give answers, it’s to set the stage for all the hearty advice your post will provide. Example:In the introduction to Meera Kothand’s post, she addressed a problem all new bloggers face: How do you get to know your audience when you don’t have one yet? She goes on to talk about the big mistake many of them make (making assumptions) and why that’s ineffective. Then, she uses the simplest phrase to hint at a solution:
How could anyone not want to keep reading? How to Write an Introduction: Bonus TipWhen writing an introduction, try drafting two completely different versions approached from different angles and triggering different emotions. Doing so will highlight the techniques and emotions that work best for both your audience and the content of your post. Editor’s Note:A word of caution: No matter how eloquent your words… No matter how powerful your prose… If your introduction doesn’t satisfy user intent, readers will click the “back” button and never return. What’s user intent? It’s the purpose behind the Google search. If someone searches for “how to lose weight” in Google, they’re expecting search results that will help them lose weight. If they click a headline that reads “7 Easy Tips For Losing Weight Fast”, and the post begins with an amusing Nicolas Cage anecdote, there’s a good chance they will leave — never getting to read the rest of the post, which is filled with weight loss wisdom. And when they leave, what they’re essentially telling Google is this:
And Google will respond by ranking your post lower in its search results.
Step #3. Deliver Advice That’s Easy to Consume and Impossible to IgnoreOkay, you’re doing great. You got readers to click on your headline, you lured them down the page with your intro, and now it’s time to deliver on all that you’ve promised. If you want readers to love you and look forward to every post you write, you’ll over-deliver. If you want them to take a quick look and vanish for good, you’ll under-deliver. The choice is yours. Use the guide below to deliver valuable and easy-to-consume advice: Content Rule #1. Add PitstopsSubheads — use them. Why? Because readers are scanners. They have no choice. There’s a behemoth amount of content at their fingertips, and not all of it is good. And so they scan (as do you, I’m sure). Subheads are your chance to prove to readers that your content holds value. To keep luring them back into your post, when their instinct is to leave. Blogging is a battle, remember? Keep these four tips in mind when drafting your subheads: #1. Add a Subhead Every Few ParagraphsSprinkle subheads throughout your post. Why? Because they gently guide readers along the route your post is heading, making their experience feel clear, easy and enjoyable. And never forget, your blog posts are all about your readers’ experience. If readers see too much text when they’re scanning without enough pit stops, they’ll feel overwhelmed. It’s like getting on a bus tour and being told there will be no bathroom breaks … oh, the anxiety! Example:Every single post on Smart Blogger. Seriously. That’s how important this is. #2. Avoid the 3 Subhead Blunders That Make Readers BounceSubheads have the same function as headlines; they must make readers curious so they keep reading. So you should follow similar rules when drafting them and avoid the following common blunders:
Example:Let’s say you’re writing a post about the impact sleep has on anxiety levels and you include the following subheads:
See how the first subhead is way too plain, the second gives too much away, and the third, well, it probably made no sense to you, right? The subheads below would do a better job at grabbing readers:
#3. Compare Each Subhead to Your Main HeadlineEach subhead should clearly deliver on the overall headline of your post. Again, if you’re viewing subheads as pit stops, they must all lead to the ultimate destination — what was promised by your headline. If the subheads get off track and move away from that destination, readers are left feeling lost and confused. In that case, either the subheads need to change or the headline needs rethinking. Example:Say you’re writing a post called “How to Silence Your Nagging Inner Critic” and you include the following subheads:
The fourth subhead’s sudden twist in topic is jarring. It does not deliver on the overall headline, which had nothing to do with your day job. Perhaps you intended all along for the post to be about not letting doubts stop you from following your dreams and quitting your day job, but readers scanning subheads will not understand that. They will simply feel confused. #4. Follow a FormatIf you are listing various “ways,” “steps,” “methods,” “signs,” etc., to achieve what the headline of the post promises, keep the format consistent. If you don’t, the post comes across as unpolished. Bloggers overlook this all the time, but it’s easy to fix once you’re aware of it. If you separate your subheads from the post and list them back to back, you can see if any stray from the course. Example:Say your post is called “12 Ways to Cure Insomnia” and you have a subhead for each of the 12 ways. You’ll want those subheads to follow a consistent format. Let’s say your first few subheads read as follows:
Something there feel a little off? The first three subheads start with an action verb instructing readers what to do. They are also fairly consistent in length. But then the fourth subhead suddenly changes the format and breaks the flow. It doesn’t start with a verb and it’s much longer than the others. This inconsistency may seem fairly innocent, but it’s distracting to readers. Content Rule #2. Unleash the UnexpectedLet’s face it, readers today are info-holics. We all are. So tired old advice isn’t going to cut it. Your post must be unique, bold, and eye-opening. My advice? List your main points and see if you can add a unique perspective, experience, or twist to them. Something readers aren’t expecting. What belief systems have you learned to challenge? What do you know that most people don’t? How can you shed new light on an old problem? What methods do you use that others won’t know about? You don’t want to go overboard just for the sake of adding shock value. Your advice must be authentic and truly helpful. But regurgitating old advice doesn’t challenge you as a writer, nor does it enlighten your audience. So pour your readers a little espresso for their info-hangover by delivering the unexpected. Example:Countless articles have been written about blogging, but how many have called you out for being dumb or told you to replace your friends?! Jon does just that by knocking you over the head with some hard truth bombs about what it takes to make it as a blogger. Content Rule #3. Follow a FormulaNotice how this post follows a pretty consistent formula? Each section is relatively similar in length. Every subhead follows a pattern. Each section ends with an example. The more consistency you weave into your posts, the better the reader’s experience. Let’s say you write a list post covering five steps to achieve something. If the first step is 500 words, the second and third steps are 100 words, the fourth step is 200 words and the fifth step is 400 words, it looks sloppy. As though you didn’t bother to edit it before hitting publish. Your readers deserve the best, and minor details like this matter as they affect the fluidity of their experience. Want to go even more pro? Look at the the beginning, middle and end of each section you write, and create a guiding formula. Perhaps you start each section with a bold statement or personal experience. Then you flesh out your advice in the middle. And then you end each section with a one-sentence call to action. The more formulas you add to your posts, the easier they are to write and the more they look like polished works of art. Example:In his post on getting traffic from Twitter, Brian Honigman uses hashtags for each subhead, each section is consistent in length, and each includes a graphic. Readers know exactly what to expect from each section, making for a fluid reading experience. Content Rule #4. Be Ridiculously GenerousMany bloggers worry about giving away too much in their posts. After all, they want readers to sign up for their paid coaching calls or products. So they hold back, barely skimming the surface of their advice. Truthfully, if you’re not generous with your readers in your posts, they won’t get a good impression of your paid products. Don’t hold back on your readers. Fully work through the problem with them. Give them complete solutions and powerful advice. Wow them with your generosity and they will stick around as loyal readers and customers. Example:Want to learn everything there is to know about affiliate marketing? Holy smokes. At 10,000 words, that insanely generous post by Leanne Regalla is basically a textbook on the subject, and reader comments praise it as such. (Let’s all bookmark this one, yes?) A post of this magnitude is quite an undertaking, but don’t let it scare you. You can also wow your audience with your generosity and thoughtfulness in a 1,000-word post. Content Rule #5. Start and End StrongJust as your introduction and conclusion should grab readers, you want the main body of your post to start and end strong as well. Of course, every section should have valuable content, but if you’re offering five ways to achieve something, save your absolute best tips for the first and fifth ways. The first way will grab your readers’ attention, and the fifth way will leave them feeling fully satisfied. On the other hand, if each tip successively decreases in value, readers will feel like your post is deflating. And their excitement will deflate with it. Let’s leave readers feeling pumped when they finish your post. Example:Linda Formichelli gives ten crafty ways to write 1,000 words per hour. While all ten ways are excellent, I’d argue that the first (about writing under the pressure of a full bladder) and last (about gambling with your reputation) are the most bold and attention-grabbing (bathroom break, anyone?). Writing a Blog Post: Bonus TipBefore writing the main sections of your post, flesh out an outline to nail your points down. The clearer and more simplified your outline is, the more clarity and conviction your post will have.
Step #4. Close with a Motivational BangWe’re almost at the finish line! It’s time to close your post with a bang. This is where you rally behind your readers. Show them that you believe in them. Make them believe they can achieve the goal promised by your headline (because after reading your generous advice, they certainly can). Follow these rules when crafting your motivational conclusion: Conclusion Rule #1. Give Your Readers a Pep TalkMotivate your readers. Show them how far they’ve come, what they’re capable of, and what life will look like once they’ve implemented your advice. Give them the pep talk you longed for when you were struggling with the topic your post presents. Empower them by raising your expectations of them. They can’t just read your post and pretend it never happened — they must take action. Immediately. Make them see that no matter what they’ve experienced or how hard they’ve struggled, their time is now. Example:In this post’s conclusion, Jon uses all he’s had to overcome in life to show readers that they have no excuses: no matter hard things get, they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. He encourages readers by letting them know that he believes in them and then he raises his expectations of them by telling them they need to get started … “right freaking now.” By the time you’re done reading the conclusion, you feel like you can conquer just about anything! Conclusion Rule #2. Avoid New InformationA common mistake many bloggers make? Suddenly inserting new information or tips in their conclusions. It’s like reaching the last ten minutes of a spellbinding movie. You’re on pins and needles waiting to see how it ends, and suddenly a new character is introduced. What the … ?! It’s jarring. Don’t do that to your readers. Example:In his conclusion, Robert van Tongeren motivates you to repurpose old blog posts by comparing them to epic musical classics; if they disappeared into obscurity simply because they’re old, we’d all be at a great loss. Imagine if in the midst of such a conclusion, Robert quickly threw in one more way to repurpose content, or one small caveat to his post’s advice, or one more general tip to keep in mind? It would throw the whole closing off and leave readers feeling ruffled instead of jamming to Bohemian Rhapsody. How to Write a Conclusion: Bonus TipWhen writing your conclusion, put yourself back in the shoes of your readers. What will their lives be like if they accomplish the advice in your post? How will they feel? The more you can hone in on your readers’ point of view, the more you can motivate them to take action. Editor’s Note:Too many bloggers put too little thought into their closings. That’s a shame. Let’s face it… Most people don’t read 100% of our posts. Heck, most people don’t even read half. So how do we reward the precious few who read and absorbed the words we poured our heart and soul into? With a closing we whipped together in 20 seconds. Someone who makes it to the end of your post is primed. They trust you. They like you. They want you to tell them what to do next. So tell them. Don’t waste this opportunity.
Step #5. Polish Your Post So It’s Smoother Than a Slip ‘n SlidePhew! You’ve written your post. Next up? Take a well-deserved break. Step away for a day or more so you can come back to it with fresh eyes. Once you’re ready, it’s time to do some editing. I know, the mind reels that there’s more work to do! But editing your post is essential. If your post doesn’t provide a smooth reading experience, your reader will lose attention and bail. Use this checklist when you’re ready to edit your post:
Want this 22-point checklist as a handy, printable PDF? Click here to download it for free.
How to Edit a Blog Post: Bonus TipA great way to self-edit your posts is to read them out loud. Doing so will help you catch many of the issues listed above, particularly things like overly complicated wording, run-on sentences and choppy rhythm.
Win the Battle for Your Reader’s AttentionBlogging is a battle. A war to get your ideas the attention they deserve. Your enemy? The dizzying array of online distractions that devour your readers. This battle is not for the faint of heart. There are so many learning curves. Blogging platforms and plugins you’ll need to install. Social networks you’ll need to employ. Marketing techniques you’ll need to try. But none of that stuff matters if you’re drowning your ideas in amateur writing. You might as well lay your sword down in defeat. Readers don’t have time for amateurs. So before you venture any further down the blogging rabbit hole, you better make sure you know how to write a blog post like a pro. Skip that step, and nothing can save you. Your battle is lost. The good news is, writing effective blog posts is a skill you can learn. And it’s one you must learn. You have powerful words and ideas that can transform readers’ lives. Those ideas are worth fighting for. So when you’re ready to enter the arena, arm yourself with this ultimate guide and fight the good fight. Your readers are counting on you.
About the Author: Liz Careathers, Esq. worked as an instructor in Jon’s guest blogging course for two years editing the posts of hundreds of students. She now writes to empower her readers at StrongSensitiveSouls.com while raising her two little girls. Download her free Checklist for Writing Blog Posts that Emotionally Engage Your Audience.
The post How to Write a Blog Post in 2019: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/how-to-write-a-blog-post/ Whether your blog is brand new or already established, you can never have enough traffic. Seriously… I work at an SaaS company called Ahrefs, and even though the Ahrefs blog pulls in over 200k organic traffic every month, we still experiment with ways to promote our blog and bring in more traffic. Because let’s face it: It’s 2019. Simply sending an email blast to your subscriber list doesn’t cut it anymore. But don’t fret. If you’re stuck coming up with new ideas for how to promote your blog, here are 9 tried-and-tested tactics that have worked for us. Let’s dig in. #1. Work with PodcastsLet’s start things off with the buzzword of the year: podcasts. Thanks to their flexibility (you can listen to them while you’re at work or when you’re on the go), they’re the most popular form of audio content. They’re also widely available on services like iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. Some quick facts:
Ahrefs has had great success with sponsoring podcasts (paid advertising) as well as guesting on them — that is, sending a member of our team to be interviewed on a show. Here’s an actual comment from a new customer and blog reader of ours: For sponsoring podcasts, think of this tactic as a type of influencer marketing. Your job is to sell your blog to the podcast host and the podcast host’s job is, in turn, to sell your blog to their audience. How to Promote Your Blog by Sponsoring PodcastsIf you have the budget, sponsoring podcasts is a great way to promote your blog. Here’s how you do it: Step #1. Do Your ResearchCreate a list of podcasts whose audiences are a good match for your blog. If you have no idea where to start, here’s a tip: Try using a specialized podcast search engine like Listen Notes. Browse the shows and pick your favorites. Step #2. Make ContactOnce you’ve created a list of targets, you’ll need to contact the podcasts and inquire about sponsorship details. What are their pricing packages? What dates do they have available? Are there any gotchas? Prices can range from $50 to $5,000 and beyond per episode, so work within your particular budget. Step #3. Iron Out the DetailsThis includes your ad copy, delivery, and any other deliverables like your blog’s logo and elevator pitch. In my experience, organic reads do much better than “scripted ads.” The goal is to get the podcast host to sound like a fan and regular reader of your blog. Step #4. Wait for Your Ad to AirIf anything is off, be sure to let the podcast know as soon as possible! How to Promote Your Blog with Podcast InterviewsIf you’re strapped for cash (or simply don’t want to do podcast advertising), another approach is to appear as a guest on podcasts. This is usually free — unless you’re approaching extremely-popular podcasts, which tend to charge a one-time appearance fee. The catch is you’ll need some kind of credibility to your name. In other words, you’ll need to convince the podcast host that you’re someone their audience would love to listen to. The process for this is similar to the one detailed above: Step #1. Create a Target ListUse Listen Notes or a similar tool to create a list of podcast targets. Step #2. Check if They Accept InterviewsOften, podcasts will explicitly state on their websites whether or not they accept interview requests. And if they don’t accept interview requests? Ask anyway. Send in your pitch and convince them you have lots of value to add. Step #3. Follow the Host’s LeadEvery podcast will have their own process. Some may want to do pre-interviews, some may want to work on a rough content online with you, and some may want to just “wing it.” Whatever the process, remember to be courteous and respectful — you’re a guest, after all. Just don’t forget to mention your blog! Editor’s Note:Appearing on podcasts is one of our favorite promotion strategies here at Smart Blogger — as evidenced by our appearances on EOFire, James Altucher, Duct Tape Marketing, the Write Podcast, and Loz James’ Content Champion. Just make sure you’re prepared:
#2. Republishing on MediumSure, you can publish tons of absolutely amazing posts on your own blog. But if you never extend your reach, whether it’s by growing your list of email subscribers or boosting your number of social media followers, your audience will be limited. So what do you do if you don’t have time to create promotional content and extend your reach? Try this: Republish your existing posts on blogging platforms like Medium. Your content will be seen by a whole new audience — some of which will then visit your blog and discover all the great content you have to offer. For example, look at this blog post I published on the Ahrefs blog last December: It got 463 shares and 43 comments — very decent engagement considering the fact that the topic likely didn’t appeal to our blog’s core audience (people interested in search engine optimization). In a bid to push the post out to a wider audience, we republished it on Medium. It turned out to be a fantastic decision. Here are the stats as of March this year: That’s 13.6k views in total, with 22% of readers actually finishing the whole post. Plus, the Medium publication of this post averages a steady trickle of 10-30 readers every day.
Note: For the SEO-conscious among us, Medium uses canonical tags when you use their republishing tool. So no worries about duplicate content issues.
How to Republish on MediumMedium has made the process of importing and republishing content super simple. Here’s how you do it: Step #1. Choose a Post to RepublishIdeally, pick one of your top performers (since it’s already proved it’s popular). You can use a tool like Ahrefs’ Top Content report in Site Explorer to see which of your posts have the most shares on social media. Since they’ve proven themselves on social media, these posts are the most likely to resonate with audiences beyond your blog’s existing one. Editor’s Note:Though they aren’t nearly as detailed, there are a few free tools to track social media shares if you aren’t an Ahrefs customer. As an example, SharedCount.com lets you copy and paste URLs of individual posts; however, they only show counts for Facebook and Pinterest: Step #2. Import Your Post Into MediumEnter the URL of your post into the Medium import tool and hit “Import”. Step #3. Publish Your Post on MediumFollow Medium’s guidelines to format and polish your post, then click “Publish”. That’s all there is to it! #3. Smart Social SharingI know, I know. It’s 2019, and promoting your blog posts on social media is by no means a new strategy. BUT — there’s more to social media promotion than pasting a link and clicking a “Tweet” button. Here’s an example of the success we’ve seen from smart sharing on the Ahrefs Twitter account: Pretty impressive, right? Here’s another example: These tweets received amazing engagement, but we actually spent very little time creating them. We achieved this ROI by working smarter, not harder. How to Promote Your Blog Using Social Media (Smartly)Here’s our process: Step #1. Brainstorm Ideas and Organize ThemThe great thing about social media content is it’s all fleeting. Even if an idea is a flop, it’s easy to turn the page and try the next idea. But to make the most of these (admittedly fleeting) opportunities, you need two things:
To brainstorm ideas, get a pen and paper (or launch Google Docs, Microsoft Word, etc.) and jot down things you would like to try. Get as creative as you want. Think memes would be popular with your audience? Write it down. Believe infographics or inspirational quotes could be successful? Write them down. Believe posts or tweets on Topic X or Topic Y could receive high engagement? (You get the idea.) By listing all of your ideas, you’ll then be able to group them into categories. This will help you track which categories are successful and which are not. Step #2. Craft and Publish (and Monitor) Your ContentYou can use social media management tools like Buffer and MeetEdgar to schedule your content and keep it running automatically. Once your social media posts begin making their way into the wild, you’ll be able to track their progress. Do some receive more comments, while others receive more shares and retweets? Are some more popular in the mornings, while others receive more engagement during the evenings? All data, both good and bad, will help you in the next step. Step #3. Review the ResultsAfter an appropriate amount of time has gone by, hold a review. Drop the categories that didn’t perform well. Keep the ones with potential and refine them. You want to focus on the categories your audience likes and tweak them. Do they like emojis, or do they gravitate towards a more “serious” tone? Do they like infographics, or long chunks of copy with statistics thrown in? And so on. From here, keep repeating steps 1-3 until you’ve locked down the type of content your audience loves. And once you’ve figured out what they love, keep giving it to them. Step #4. Advertising (Optional)If you want to try advertising, the above process will save you some serious money. Pick your top organic performers from Step #3 and put money into promoting them. Since they’ve already proven themselves to be popular, this is a safe and effective way to buy ads to promote your blog (without wasting time and money on losers). #4. Create Roundup PostsThe perks of this strategy pretty much sell themselves. Here’s what happens when you publish a good roundup post:
So… what’s a roundup post, anyway? Here’s an example: Essentially, a roundup post features a compilation of answers to a single question, ideally by established experts in the field. A great roundup post adds immense value to readers since they offer a range of expert opinions in one place. Plus, they tend to bring in lots of traffic since the experts featured in them will often share the post with their own audiences. What’s not to love? How to Create Roundup PostsHere are the basics of roundup posts so you can create your own: Step #1. Craft Your QuestionDon’t take this step lightly. If you ask too much of the experts you’ll be polling, most won’t have time to participate (even if they want to). And if you ask a question they’ve heard (and answered) a million times, most won’t be interested. Your question needs to be clear, succinct, and something that will appeal both to your readers and the experts you’ll be asking to participate. Step #2. Create a List of InfluencersOnce you’ve crafted your question, it’s time to create your influencer wish list. These are the influencers (“experts”) you’ll be asking to participate in your roundup post. Since not everyone will respond to you, reach out to significantly more experts than you need. For example, if you need 20 people for your roundup post, reach out to 40 experts (or more). Remember: A roundup post is only as good as the people you feature. While it takes exponentially more time and effort to get a response from a more recognized name in your industry, it’s likely worth it. With that said, don’t expect the Michael Jordans of your industry to respond to your outreach — try to find people with a reasonable level of influence who aren’t complete titans. Step #3. Reach Out to the ExpertsYou can use specialized tools like BuzzStream or Mailshake to streamline the entire outreach process by making it easier to hunt down email addresses, batch send messages, and conduct follow-ups. Quick tips for the message you send:
Step #4. Follow Up (But Only Once)There’s a chance your first email will slip past the expert you’re trying to reach. After all, they’re very busy and likely receive dozens (or hundreds) of emails every single day. This is why sending a follow-up email is helpful: However, please don’t follow-up more than once — any more than that and you’re just being a nuisance. Step #5. Compile Your ResponsesAt this point, you’ll have a bunch of answers ready to sift through. Now all you need to do is turn them into a cohesive post. Try to find trends in the responses and sort them into sections. Next, add your own introduction to each section, as well as your opinion on why certain trends occurred. This is how you put your stamp on the roundup post and make it your own. Step #6. Publish Your Post (And Tell the Experts)Once your post is published, it’s time to let everyone know about it. Email everyone who responded to your outreach emails (whether they ultimately contributed to your post or not) and thank them for their time. Include a link to your post, and be sure to send them well-wishes. You can also ask them (politely) to share your post with their audience, but this is often implied. Editor’s Note:Want to let influencers know your post has been published and promote the post at the same time? In addition to emailing them, tag the influencers on Twitter too. #5. Advocate In-PersonWhile all blogs are digital in nature, your promotional efforts aren’t limited to the digital world alone. It might be a step (or ten!) outside your comfort zone, but try this: Approach a local event in your niche and pitch yourself as a speaker. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world or how big the event is — it could even be a small meet-up session. The idea is to reach out to new people and give the work you do a huge visibility boost. How to Promote Your Blog by Speaking at EventsIf you’re interested in this advanced promotional tactic, here’s how to get started: Step #1. Shortlist a Few Events or Meet-Ups You’d Like to AttendIf you’re not sure where to start, look around on Reddit, Facebook groups, or Slack groups and join some communities in your industry. Chances are good people are organizing and promoting events in these communities. Make a list of potential targets, underline your favorites, and move on to the next step. Step #2. Pitch Yourself to Event OrganizersWhen pitching yourself, propose some topics that you’d be comfortable speaking about and explain how your content will add value to their audience. Hopefully it goes without saying, but you should know these topics very well.
Note: If you have no experience with public speaking, it’s a good idea to start small. Save the conference keynote speeches for later.
Step #3. Craft Your PresentationTry to deliver as much value as you can and position your blog as a great resource. This is also a good time to promote your social media accounts, which are ideally already geared towards driving traffic to your blog. Just be sure not to make it all about you. Your job is to teach, to impart your know-how to others. And when you’re able to do this well, promoting your blog will happen organically. Step #4. SpeakShow up to the event, deliver your speech, meet lots of new people, and enjoy converting some new readers! Editor’s Note:To improve your chances of landing speaking engagements, make sure you:
There’s a lot more to it than we can unpack here, so be sure to check out Grant Baldwin’s post How to Get Speaking Engagements. In fact, browse his entire website, The Speaker Lab. It’s chock-full of helpful information. #6. Integrate Your Blog with Your ProductMost businesses have blogs that are completely disconnected from their main product. If you blog for a brand or business, why not align your messaging and integrate your blog posts directly into your UI (for software products) or in your product descriptions and previews (for e-commerce)? This lets you direct traffic over to your blog and gives your customers a more seamless experience. How to Fuse Your Blog and ProductFor software products, one way to notify people of your newest blog posts is to include a (preferably unobtrusive) in-app notification. Here’s what it looks like when using Ahrefs: Click the bell icon and we display a simple drop-down menu listing all our newest content. So simple, but so effective. If you have an e-commerce website and your blog posts are educational in nature, you can promote them directly on your homepage. Beardbrand does this beautifully: Another way to do this is by scattering in individual links and excerpts of your blog posts wherever they’re relevant. This is how Mr Porter does it: Time to get creative! Editor’s Note:Here’s one more tip that’s missed by a surprising number of business websites… Include a prominent link to your blog in your website’s navigation menu. Ahrefs, MeetEdgar, Elegant Themes (affiliate link), and many other smart businesses feature their blogs in their navigation, which helps drive traffic to them. Here’s how Quuu (affiliate link) does it: In other words: If people have to hunt to find your blog ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE, you're doing it wrong.Click To Tweet#7. Collaborate with Other BlogsCreating content in collaboration with another blog means you’re able to tap into each other’s audiences and can promote yourself to a whole new set of blog readers. You can even split the work! Here’s a post that Ahrefs did with Buffer, a social media management tool: How to Join Forces With Another BlogFair warning: Collaborating with blogs significantly larger than yours probably isn’t in the cards. However, collaborating with a site similar in size is definitely doable. Here’s how to get started: Step #1. Find Opportunities in Your NicheLook for opportunities to work with blogs within the same niche as yours. Start by approaching bloggers you have an existing relationship with and ask if they’d like to collaborate. You should leave cold pitching as a last resort. If you have no idea which blogs to approach, Ahrefs offers a nifty trick: In Content Explorer, enter a relevant keyword phrase in your niche. Set the “published” filter to “Last 12 months” and the “Language” filter to “English”. Next, highlight the “one link per domain” option. Finally, you’ll want to set one more filter: DR (“domain rating”). The higher this number, the more authoritative the website; however, the more authoritative the website the harder it will be for you to get the blogger’s attention. In the screenshot below, we set the DR to 40: This will pull a list of active blogs in your niche. From here, just sift through the possibilities and pick the ones you’d like to approach. Step #2. Make Your PitchThe process is pretty similar to advocating in-person: you need to make your best pitch. Focus on explaining why you want to work with that particular blogger, as well as how collaboration will benefit them. Feel free to suggest a couple of topics you feel would work well. Step #3. CreateCreation time! Finalize your content with the blogger you’re working with and remember to stay prompt and gracious throughout. This is not the time to get pushy or rude and make an enemy out of a would-be ally. Step #4. Publish and PromotePromote the post to your newsletter and social media accounts. Make sure to tag and give credit to the other blogger too. #8. Repurpose Content Into Other Formats to Reach New AudiencesYou’ve spent all this time and effort to create amazing content in the form of blog posts. Why not get more out of the same piece of content? Since your customers hang out in multiple places online and have their own preferences when it comes to content formats, you should try to reach audiences beyond blog readers. And you do that by repurposing your content. How to Repurpose Your ContentSome examples:
Or, do it in reverse. We published a YouTube tutorial on WordPress SEO. It has over 20,000 views and 70 comments — not too shabby. We decided to turn it into a blog post. Here’s how it performed: By re-creating our video in written form, we were able to reach an entirely new audience on an entirely different platform. And the best part? We didn’t have to come up with fresh content for the post. We took what we already had and created something new with it. #9. Monitor Online Conversations for Opportunities to Promote YourselfPeople talk about all sorts of things on the Internet, including your niche. If you monitor these conversations, you’ll get lots of chances to slide into the discussion, add value, and (subtly) promote your blog. Here’s a pretty meta example of this tactic in action. I once mentioned Talkwalker alerts in a blog post I wrote, and an employee commented on the post to provide the link: How to Monitor Conversations for Promotion OpportunitiesTracking online conversations is surprisingly easy. Here’s how you do it: Step #1. Set up Your AlertYou can use a free tool like Google Alerts, or services like Talkwalker Alerts and Ahrefs Alerts. For Ahrefs, go to Alerts, Mentions, +New Alert, and enter your keyword you’d like to track. What these tools do is send you an email every time a keyword is mentioned on the web. From there, you can simply follow the link in the email to find out where you’ve been mentioned. Step #2. Carefully Monitor Your MentionsWhether your mention comes in a blog article or a forum discussion, look for suitable areas where you can add value. For example, if you’re a food blogger and you receive an alert for a discussion of a restaurant, it’s your time to shine by talking about your own experience. However, a word of warning: It’s extremely important not to shoehorn yourself into conversations. If you’re clearly only there to advertise your own blog, people will catch on pretty quickly. So, be sure to link to your own blog strategically, and only after you’d added value to the discussion. Editor’s Note:You can also track mentions using Twitter’s advanced search. For example, let’s say I wanted to find every English-speaking tweet in 2018 that mentioned Jon Morrow by name: Twitter’s advanced search results would return a veritable smorgasbord of tweets: Cool, right? Use this feature to find keywords and mentions that matter to you, roll up your sleeves, and then get to work. The applications are nearly limitless. Over to YouIf you sometimes find yourself lying in bed at night wondering, “how do I increase my blog traffic?”, I feel your pain. I did my best to stay away from the more common methods of blog promotion, so hopefully you found something new to try. Of course, not all of the tactics we discussed will be suitable for, or will work for, your blog and your particular niche. You’ll need to experiment and find what works for you. When it comes down to it, marketing is always about experimenting — experimenting, failing, and going at it again and again until you succeed. Now, go forth and get that traffic! The post How to Promote Your Blog in 2019: 9 Creative Strategies appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/how-to-promote-your-blog/ |
ABOUT MEHello I am Claude 32 years old. I have been doing internet marketing for 7 years and successfully running 3 e-commerce stores. I like to share tips with people aobut online business. Archives
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