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In episode 18, I’m going to show you how to start a blog post and hook your readers in your intro.
Let’s go.
According to Forbes, the average adult reads at 300 words per minute. Divide that into 150 words and you have a generous 30 seconds to keep your readers reading.
Before we get into writing your first blog post introduction with a strategy in mind, I want you to think about why people read blogs.
Sometimes it’s to be entertained, but the vast majority is to get helpful information to solve a problem.
Think about it. When you go to Google, you probably type in a query with a solution in mind like “best chicken recipes”, “1-year-old birthday ideas” or maybe even “how to start a blog post.”
If someone clicks through to your blog, you can either leave them with something about what you wore yesterday or something that they can instantly get value from.
Here’s how:
1. Identify a pain point.
The first step is to identify a pain point. A pain point is something that the audience you want to attract struggles with.
For new moms, that might be putting your child to sleep. For new dads, it might be finding work-life balance. For business owners, it might be attracting people to their website.
After you’ve nailed the pain point, it’s time to pinch it.
If you run a summer camp for kids, you might start off with something like:
Schools out and your kids are excited. But what does this mean for you? How are you going to keep the rug rats entertained without breaking the bank?
Daycares are overpriced, friends will no longer be friends after spending a summer with my kids and my parents are too old to handle Jonny and Jane.
2. Give them a solution.
The next step is to give them a low-level solution with supporting facts.
It might look like this:
Summer camps, on the other hand,work out to 17% of the cost of the average daycare fees in [City]. Psychology Today shows how summer camps make kids resilient by building new relationships, strengthening self-identity and outdoor physical activity sure beats hours on the iPad.
3. Offer a promise.
Then we finish with something the reader will accomplish by reading the rest of the post.
Calling every camp in town might be a bit of a pain. I get it. So I put together a complete list of the top rated camps in the [City] area that fits every budget and personality.
That was 134 words and still a bit wordy.
Keep your introduction short, address a problem, give a factual solution and promise them value.
You’ll increase social and user engagement metrics and most importantly, you’ll spark the beginning of a trust relationship.
So are you going to send your kids to my marketing camp?
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed today’s episode and got practical value you can add to your blog post introduction.
If you liked the video then give me a thumbs up.
In the next episode, we’re going to build on blogging and get into topic generation and ideas.
Leave a comment and let me know if you have any questions about content creation. I’d love to see what you’re up to.
Stay tuned, subscribe and until the next episode, remember to take action because every minute counts.
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