How to write a business blog post… quickly

Want to start writing blog posts for your business but worry about where to start and lack of time? Here’s a guide to writing blog posts quickly

So you want to start blogging about your business?

But you’re afraid that:

• You won’t have anything to write about
• You won’t have time to write
• So many people are writing blogs in my sector

Who is going to want to read mine?

I’ve been there. I’m a solopreneur. I’ve limited time.

Also, as a copywriter, I know many people are writing about the same topics as me.

What’s more, some of these people have vastly more experience in my subject matters.

But the thing is. These people are not writing for my audience. And I’m not writing for their readers. I just need to focus on my ideal client.That’s right.

Now let’s take a look at the time it takes to write a business blog post. Well at school, my children are taught to plan, do and review.

You can use this simple formula for any type of project. In fact, it is a perfect strategy to adopt when writing regular business blog posts.

So, let’s take a closer look.

Who do you want to read your blog post?

Ask yourself who your ideal customer is? Be as specific as you can. Can you cut out a picture of your perfect customer from a magazine and pin it up beside your desktop? It’ll help you write more engaging and personal posts.

How will your business blog post benefit your audience?

As with any marketing communication, you need to know what problems your products or services can solve for your customers. Then you can address these problems with your blog content.

Fear the blank page? Adopt a simple structure when writing a blog post

Write a compelling headline

Original Mad Man David Ogilvy told us: “On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy.”

This headline writing rule still stands today.

Capture your reader’s attention

Open your post by presenting the problem addressed in your blog post and why it’s important to resolve. Then explain how in this post you are going to solve the problem.

Plan your post by sketching out some sub-headlines

According to my journalist parents, a good news story answers the questions who, what, why, where, when and how.

Answer these questions, and you’ll have the perfect blog post.

As an alternative you use a listicle format. For example: ‘How to write blog posts in 5 easy steps.” Simply list your points and then flesh them out.

Add a relevant image

Pictures sell stories. According to marketer Jeff Bullas, articles accompanied by relevant images get 94% more total views than articles without images.

Yup, that’s right!

Add links. Both internally and externally

Not only will links help your readers to find additional information on your topic, but also links help with search engine optimisation.

You can use internal links to drive traffic to posts you have already written.

You can use external links to give the people you link to and search engines to boot an incentive to take notice of your site.

End with a call to action

As with any copywriting activity, you need to be clear about what you want your readers to do as a result of your blog post.

Do you want them to download some further information on your topic? Join your mailing list? Share your content with other interested parties via social media?

You’ve put a lot of work into creating your blog post, so it pays to spend some time making sure your readers engage and act on it.

Where to find inspiration for blog topics

Start off by brainstorming topics around your products and services. Hone in on your readers’ needs.

Write down a list of the questions your customers regularly ask you. Then use your blog to answer them.

Investigate what topics related to your business people are querying in the search engines. Conduct some keyphrase research.  A useful tool you can use is UberSuggest.

Have you given a presentation? Turn your presentation topic into a blog post.

Once you have a good list of ideas, pop them into an editorial calendar. It will save you from having to think about what to write about every time your business blog post becomes due and better still keep you on track.

Finally, I was listening to productivity guru Mike Vardy on a podcast today. He recommended organising your week into themed days to help you make sure that tasks such as writing get done.

There is no excuse. So go ahead and make it happen!

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

And finally

If you would like help writing persuasive communications, then do get in touch. You’ll be surprised at how straightforward writing can grab your audience’s attention.

About Claire Hawes

Claire Hawes is a marketing communications copywriter. She enjoys writing engaging copy that helps businesses to get noticed and attract enquiries. Claire’s experience mainly lies in the business to business sector. Her clients include both businesses and digital marketing agencies.