The post W is for Write appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Why?

When writing content you might have one of those days where you stare at your monitor, desperately seeking inspiration. You re-write the same paragraph about 5 times, never happy with what you’re producing.
Just as you’re about to say FTSIQ you realise that perhaps it’s time for a new approach. So you decide to create a list based blog post.
Creating a list allows you to break down the writing process. Instead of trying to write paragraphs you’re condensing everything into bite sized information. This not only makes it easier for you to write, it also makes it easier to read.
You can of course elaborate on what you put into your list. It can be a simple no frills list where you mention the salient points and leave it at that, or it can be a list where you go into detail about the separate topics. Either way it provides a clear cut structure and helps you stick to the point. You won’t go off at a tangent and won’t run the risk of losing the gist of what you’re writing about.

How?

Of course there are lists and then there are lists. the internet is full of click bait articles with headings like The ten secrets you need to know about pasta that will change your life only to present you with a list full of useless information which you knew anyway.
A good list takes time. Here are a few things to keep in mind

1. Know your facts
   Don’t get caught out. Make sure you know what you’re talking about. Verify any stats and where possible link to your sources.
2. Length
   You can make your list as long as you want – but as a general rule try not to have a list with a random number of items – eg 23
   Go for 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 50, 101… you get the point. These numbers look good and have an element of harmony which is more eye catching. What’s more is that writing with a pre-defined amount of points in mind helps to guide your writing.
3. Provide useful information
   People want good content. Just because you’re writing a list it doesn’t mean you can skimp on content. If you don’t have enough to talk about for a 10 point list then just go for something shorter.

These are just the basics, there are of course other things to keep in mind based on the article you’re writing.

The results

Lists are perfect for building engagement. People naturally skim through text, so if you’re writing paragraph based articles readers will probably rush through what you wrote. With lists they’ll still skim, however with each different point you re-capture their attention.
Lists are shareable – people find them useful because they automatically insinuate efficiency. It’s almost like we look for answers to life’s biggest mysteries in lists. They increase engagement and also keep people coming back for more.

To sum up

If you’re looking for a new way to boost content engagement, or are lacking inspiration about what you should be writing, then it’s high time to dabble in the world of lists. In the meantime, why not check out one of ours?

The post L is for Lists appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

― Chuck Palahniuk,

You might not have read Chuck Palahniuk but you know who he is and what he stands for. He wrote ‘Fight Club’, amongst other great novels. The wacky ‘Pygmy’ is probably my favourite but I’m not recommending it to anyone. Read at your own risk.

In any case, he’s dead on the money about inspiration. Think of tasks you’ve performed when they’ve been dictated by others who supplied very specific instructions, leaving you no room for inspiration. You’ve put plenty of effort into these jobs and walked away after having completed the job knowing that it’s done but feeling no joy.

But life is too short for such nonsense, too bloody boring when devoid of inspiration, and too valuable to be lived leaving nothing but barren copies of the work of others as a legacy. Luckily for us, inspiration is in plentiful supply and, given the right frame of mind, can almost drown everything else out if we gave it the attention it deserves.

Here are five obvious rules to make sure your efforts are inspired

1. Only accept jobs/tasks from clients/superiors/peers/kids/partners if they leave room for a bit of your own inspiration. Change the brief to allow for an open door through which inspiration can flow.
2. Keep your eyes and ears open. ‘Silly’ pictures posted to your timeline by that guy you haven’t seen since you left school could strike a chord. Subscribe to an online music service that will prevent you from resorting to the same iTunes playlist you created a while ago.
3. Stop whatever you’re doing for a while. Take a break. Run an errand that’s due tomorrow. Park far from where you need to go and walk the last ten minutes. Then get back to your task.
4. Don’t let deadlines rule your life. The creative process is not bound by time. Clients should understand that if they want excellent work, they have to wait for it to happen to you first. Work with them to bring briefs forward and seek inspiration before rushing into the job.
5. Take time to shut out the world completely. Your life’s experiences so far have been exceptional and varied. Only ‘silence’ can create wonderfully unexpected links between the millions of entries in your internal album of sights and sounds.

The post 5 steps to Inspiration appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

1) Evoke interest with your title

Your title is the first thing that gets read on your blog post, so you have to make sure that it’s clear and delivers a glimpse of what your blog post is about (see 100 great ideas here). It has to immediately set the mind of the reader so they’ll decide if they should read the article or not. That’s why your title serves one goal; grab attention so people feel compelled to read your opening.

2) Grab attention in the first 3 to 4 sentences

If you get people to read you first 3 to 4 sentences, they’re more likely to read your entire article. Delivering a sense of urgency is  crucial at this point so promising some benefits is always a great start. That said, the point of your opening is to get people to read the rest of the blog post… and that’s it. Whatever approach you take, just ensure that your first 3 to 4 sentences have to be compelling and evoke interest.

3) Visual appearance

How can I make my readers keep coming back for more? The visual appearance is crucial, so these are some tips to attract your readers’ attention:
– Fewer characters per line, so that it won’t take too long to read and the readers will feel that they are reading it very fast. A half width image shortens the line length of the opening and will make it easier to read.
– Always try to include at least one image; it will surely increase your readership.
– Choose a font that is clear enough to read.

4) Emotional connection

If you can understand and implement the psychology of connecting emotionally with your readers, then your website can keep driving traffic. Write unique content which readers will think about after reading it. That way they will come back for more and be more likely to click on a link to your blog the next time on of their friends shares it. When people get emotional, they pay attention. They’re also more likely to take action after being put into an emotional state.

5) Give readers practical advice that is easy to implement

One of the main goals of writing an article is to get people to take action, and that should be done religiously. Readers will look for step-by-step methods and how-to sections. Make sure you explain clearly and give practical, easy to implement advice. Get people results, and they’ll remember you forever. As an added bonus, practically useful content is more viral than other types of content.

6) Optimise your blog post for search engines

What’s the point of writing blog posts that no one reads? Optimising your articles for search engines will help the article rank higher on search engine results and be visible to people searching about the related subject. Also, make sure that you have someone who can proofread your article and check for spelling and grammar.
It’s important to utilise keywords throughout your post:
– Title, page name and URL
– Headings and subheadings
– Title tags and meta descriptions
– General content
– Anchor text (links to other related pages on your site)
Make sure that you have a mobile friendly website, so that every reader using a mobile device will have it well displayed and clear to read.

7) Check your word count

There’s basically no rule on how much words one should write in a blog post. However, after doing some research I found that the ideal length of an article is between 1000 and 1500 words, and if your goal is search engine traffic, longer is better. Neil Patel’s blog posts can go up to 40,000 words… But it depends, focusing on blog word count might not be as important as you think. Some topics take 100 words to explain, others take 1000.

8) Inspirational conclusions

Your conclusion is as significant as your opening – here’s where you close out your article with another call to action. Buy, subscribe, call, email and share are some examples of calls to action you can include. The image below is a great example of different ways to close an article with a small simple form to subscribe, sharing buttons, other article recommendations and a commenting system.

To write a great blog post you need to know about the subject and polish your writing skills. And most of all, you need to sneak into the heads of your readers and potential clients. But magic will happen when you truly care about the subject you’re writing and your readers. Understand what they’re trying to achieve and know what they’re struggling with so that you can help them with the right advice.
You can’t expect to have a lot of traffic immediately after writing your first blog post. It takes time, be patient and your traffic will multiply over time.
If you keep up the good work, your social shares and comments will skyrocket. Other bloggers will start linking to your content. And most importantly, an endless stream of quality leads will flow to you.

The post 8 tips for writing the perfect blog post appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.