HOW TO RUN A BLOG – WHAT MAKES A GOOD BLOG POST?

. WHAT MAKES A GOOD BLOG POST? .

Well the answer to this question is subjective of course, there’s quite obviously no right or wrong answer (and i’d never dream of trying to say there was) as ultimately it’s all down to personal preference and taste. Given how personal, unique and bespoke blogging is, and how important personal integrity is to an engaging blog, no one blog is the same so there’s no one formula fits all. So there is no accurate answer to this question … but it is a question we all ask ourselves constantly.

If you’re anything like me you’ll forever be striving to do better, to figure out what works and to achieve your personal blogging goals. And part of that strive for success comes a hell of a lot of testing and learning trying to work out what works, what’s that magic combination?

Well I don’t know. Else, hell i’d be running this as a business not as a little hobby. But what I do know is what I like and what I strive to deliver on my own blog. Whether it’s a formula you think works or not is totally up for debate, in fact, i’d love to hear your thoughts, your opinions and your tricks for creating a great blog post. But today I thought i’d share my top 5 factors which ‘make’ a blog post for me!

As with anything, first impressions count. The same goes for your blog, not only your design and layout, but when we’re thinking about individual posts it’s that first image & blog title which will really win or lose your audience.

Given this, I always like to make my favourite or ‘best quality’ image my lead image on a post. This is even more important on a blog design like mine where each post is a ‘read more’ style … so if you don’t like the look of that first image or blog title, i’ve pretty much lost you then and there.

It’s also worth bearing this in mind if you use or feature your blog on sites such as bloglovin. For every blog post featured on Bloglovin, they will feature your main image and your post title to lure in readers. So it’s that opening image and title which will initially get someone to click or keep them scrolling past.

The main image and post title are also key because they tell your reader what’s to come – style, food, beauty, lifestyle content. Whatever it may be, your opening content should summarise & build up interest. With that in mind, and assuming your images are naturally linked to your content (more to come on that), it’s the title that can be the challenging factor. Do you go for something descriptive, catchy, cryptic or interesting. I’m not sure what works or not. For me I keep my style post titles relatively linked to what i’m wearing / the topic of my post, and for my how to series & lifestyle posts I tend to go a bit descriptive. I’m not sure what the winning title formula is, and I won’t even start on how it affects SEO … that’s a debate for another time!

. (YOUR OWN) QUALITY IMAGES .

Hear I go again, harping on about integrity and personality, but its just the most engaging, exciting and lovely thing about blogging. Every blog has it’s own personality, you. Make sure that shines through in every post. Don’t write about things you don’t want to for commercial reasons, it’ll show. Write and create content based on what you love, what interests and excites you or what you feel right then and there. My most favourite reads and most visited blogs are all those which are unique, have tons of personality and stay true to their integrity.Don’t try and change, be yourself, that’s what people come to see / read / look at!

. EDITORIAL .

Whilst imagery is a really important factor for me (in fact, i’d call it obsessed – every image I look at I want to know what it was shot using, the light settings, aperture, lens etc) actually I think a little bit of editorial alongside it is also key.

I know they say a picture says 1000 words (which I fully agree with), but a little writing can only add to this story!

I don’t really think it matters how much or what you write, but it’s always nice to have some context to the images you’re sharing / the look you’re wearing or the product you’re reviewing. It’s also important to tell your readers where they might be able to find the things you’re talking about, so it’s always good to share these and provide links to other relevant websites. The volume of my text varies post by post, my style posts tend to be quite short and punch whereas my lifestyle and ‘how to’ posts are often slightly more lengthy. When i’m writing a lot, I always try and make sure it’s not one huge chunk of text and break things out to make it reader friendly. I also usually read my own blog posts a few times before I set them live to makes sure the writing is ‘quality’ and that there are no real spelling clangers or glaring mistakes.

Going back to my ever harped on about point, ‘integrity’, staying true to yourself and being consistent will also make for a really engaging post and blog overall. People will come back because they know you, they know your style, they like your writing tone, you’re personality or you make them laugh. Don’t try and change yourself for the sake of trying to fit a model of what you think is ‘successful’ … when it comes to blogging it really is all about personality and being consistently authentic and true to yourself.

Consistency also has another meaning too … not just being consistent with yourself, but being consistent with when you blog too. I don’t think this is ‘make or break’ (after all there is no right and wrong), but if you’re a daily blog people probably expect your post around the same time each day. If you keep to a regular day / time, you’re readers will keep coming back and know what to expect and when. I personally blog every day and set my posts live at the same time every morning, as this works around my personal and work life. I don’t believe there’s any right or wrong time to blog, nor a right or wrong frequency of posts, but a little bit of consistency works I think.

Well there you go, the 5 things which I think make a blog post, or at least, the 5 things I try to achieve on my blog and within every blog post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic – what do you think makes for a great post? Do you agree or disagree with any of my points?