And how you can do that for your blog posts
How to write a blog post that has an engaged audience? Having a strong audience base is an asset. Quite literally. Writing blog posts that outperforms the competition is a great way to build your audience
In this day and age, views are easily monetized and anyone who can generate a large viewership will get paid really well.
Influencers on Instagram are sponsored by brands to promote their product, YouTube channels get paid according to their viewership and writer’s whose Medium articles are read widely can earn a recurring income
Being able to get views for a single post is great, but being able to generate views for each post consistently is the key to long term success as a content creator
In this article, I want to share how I got over 20,000 views for a Medium article and what you can do to consistently recreate that
Some Context To Get Started
Firstly, 20,000 views for one article is by no means great, nor is it a terrible result. It is a decent result that can be replicated after some trial and error.
Hence it is something you can work on to get more views for your blog posts or Medium articles
Secondly, the article (“3 Reasons Why I Am Leaving Crypto”) was written out of my frustration with my own career in the Cryptocurrency sector. So I did not mince my words at all when it came to my thoughts on the industry
“Speaking from the heart” is cliche but usually helps in making your article stand out. With so many content creators “fronting” or “flexing” their success, authenticity is strongly valued by readers
Thirdly, this was a Medium article that got curated by the editors and I did zero back-link building for it. Neither did I post this on any social media channels.
So any publicity was from this story being recommended to readers and the readers sharing this article to their own network. In other words, the promotion was entirely from organic word of mouth sharing
This is the exception rather than the rule. For all my other articles, I had to promote them on all channels to get readership and views. Unless your article gets shared by an influencer, you will need to promote your work to gain traction
Examining The Post In More Detail
To get others to read your article and share it requires a few key ingredients.
This is not an exact science, but if your article has these key points it is more likely to perform better
- The reader is outraged, curious, or finds your content to be super useful for something he is interested in learning more of
- Your blog post answers a very specific and niche problem that keeps your reader up at night
- Your article points to an uncomfortable truth, something that is on the minds of many but is either not widely covered or communicated in a way that clearly expresses the reader’s thoughts
- You make it clear where you stand exactly after making the argument for it. If you have a neutral stance, do not write the article (if your main aim is to increase your reach)
So let’s look at the article in more detail!
The Title Needs To Hook Readers In
The Crypto industry was (and probably still is) seen as the “technology of the future” and many in the industry pride themselves in “building the future” or paving the way forward
As such, providing you with 3 reasons why you should leave an industry that you consider to be the future and have immense pride in is bound to provoke a response in you
From the title, anyone working or considering a career in the Crypto sector was likely to click into the article. By having a title that you know will hook others is the first step in getting traction for your article
Write 50 different titles for your blog post (yes, you read that right) before settling on one that will hook the reader in. Because if nobody reads your article, it does not matter how awesome your content is
Pro-tip: If you have difficulty coming up with titles, start with questions as your titles! A simple template will be as follows
“What if (your reader’s problem) can be solved (on an unbelievably good time frame or very effectively?”
Set The Reader On A Slippery Slide
After getting someone to click on your article, you need to give the reader a few good reasons to stay.
Just like sitting on a slide, the reader should want to read your article from start to finish. The entire experience should feel as short and enjoyable as a kid feels when he goes down a slide
This is done by making interesting points throughout your article and more importantly, getting to the point from beginning to end
Another way to set the reader on a slippery slide is by articulating thoughts that many have these thoughts are not articulated enough. Or there has been talk around these topics, just that it was not communicated clearly enough
If you are able to flesh out these thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise way, your reader is likely to be engaged while reading the whole article
Presenting fresh or even controversial ideas (that you stand behind) is also a good way to keep the reader wanting more
The bottom line is to not write about what everyone already agrees on or what has been said before. Do that and people will want to read more
The most shareable content divides
There is no middle ground when it comes to the most viral content. When readers either love or hate your content, one thing is for sure
They will share your content
Whether it is to express their displeasure or how much they agree with what you posted, the more divisive the content the more viral it becomes
This can clearly be seen in the comments section for this article. Some were complimentary
While others were pretty nasty and mean
When people feel strongly for your content they are compelled to comment and share it. If people only feel neutral towards it, you will make fewer “enemies” and have way fewer readers
So stand for something you really believe in, more so if it goes against the popular belief
How You Can Write Your First Blog Post Today
Now that you have learned the concept of content virality, what actionable steps can you take from now on? Here are a few things you should consider doing
#1 Make sure your writing is up to standard
I cannot stress this enough. If your writing skills are poor, you will never be able to fully communicate your point no matter how insightful or inspiring your content may be
If you are just getting started with writing, just focus on reading and writing every single day. Once you are confident of your writing, get an editor or another writer to give you feedback on your writing to iron out the remaining kinks
#2 Understand your target customer very well
Any form of marketing must lead to more revenue eventually, unless you are doing charity work which requires more donations as well. To increase revenue you will have to sell something to someone
Knowing inside out the profile, considerations and buying characteristics of that “someone” will help you in creating relevant content that goes viral. This involves creating a buyer persona that details the age, content consumption habits and other details of your target audience
#3 What emotions do you want to incite from your article?
While the example I shared above involves getting the reader riled up, this is hard to achieve if you are in more “traditional” industries. For example, if you own a pet shop then writing content that makes your readers angry is most likely to be detrimental to your business
A more suitable emotion to aim for would be the emotion of joy that your readers will feel after reading your content. Knowing from the start how you want your readers to feel after reading your content will go a long way in making your content shareable
With so much content being pushed out into the world today, content distribution is becoming more important than content creation itself. How can you tell a story that is uniquely yours that resonates with others?
#4 Think about search keywords and search intent
Your blog post is aimed at answering your reader’s question using your perspective. To find answers to that question, your reader will search using keywords relevant to the question
What are these keywords? Is your content optimized to rank for these keywords? By optimizing your blog post to rank for said keywords, you increase the chances of your content being read by more of your target audience
More importantly, what was the search intent behind these keywords? Was the reader searching for a “how-to” guide? Or was the reader looking for an informed opinion? The reader may just be searching for relevant data on the topic
It is your job as the writer to make sure your blog post caters to your reader’s search intent
How to write a blog post in conclusion
Anyone can write a blog post and publish it on the internet. Whether it is LinkedIn, Medium or your own website, there are many blogging platforms out there for you to post. You have many resources available on the internet that teaches you how to get started as well.
That is the easy part. What is difficult is creating content that is relevant, different and adds value to the reader.
Before writing any blog post, always ask yourself these questions.
- What can I share that has not already been posted?
- Do I have data or information exclusive only to me?
- If all the information can be found online, how can I communicate it in a way that is easy to understand?
- Can I write a blog post that is more fun and engaging compared to the current posts?
As long as you are clear on what makes you content different before writing, you are in a good position to succeed. Know this: you are unique the world will benefit from your (informed input) Furthermore, building a personal brand through blogging is another way to stand out from your competitors
Let me write a better blog post for you
Tired of writing blog posts yourself? Or just not sure why your blog posts are just not performing?
I can help you with that
Reach out to me and let’s have a discussion! Email me at jiayung@alphatechmarketing.com or reach out to me on my LinkedIn